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. 

 

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - March 16, 2025: First Quarter End in Sight

Well, well, well. Here in Michigan, we're into one of our 'fake springs.' It's warm, but rainy. There's still a few snow muck piles around, and not much is actually growing yet. Winter is over (the ski hill closed a day or two ago), but the general misery is still here. Maybe that's just how the U.S. will be from here on out? I digress. It was 70 degrees F yesterday, but there's a day with a high of 40 next week. I'm just trying to enjoy being a bit less cold, and know the real spring should be just around the corner. 

I'm blogging along with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon, and Caffeinated Reviewer's Sunday Post. We share what we've been up to, what we're reading, and anything else we decide may be worth sharing. And then we check in on a bunch of others. I've been known to reference in conversation 'a book blogger,' and it's usually one of the people in these linkies. C'mon in! The water's fine (just kidding, do NOT get in the actual water yet. Brr...).

What I'm reading this week:

I'm in a bit of a book transition right now. I just finished Homegrown Magic on my kindle (5 stars, review to follow on this page in the next few days), and Goddess Game in the print version (easily recommended 4 star read, review to be posted on BooksIThinkYouShouldRead, where most of my reviews are published).

Last night I started reading Glory Daze as a pdf. It's the second in a southern mystery series, and the first was a really fun read. So far the second is shaping up the same. I haven't gotten as many print books for review lately, so I'm finally starting The Girl Who Drank the Moon this afternoon or tomorrow on my lunch (my usual print book reading time).

Three Good Things:

1. My son was offered some scholarship funds to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for band! I'm so grateful that our public school district prioritizes the arts, and a Blue Lake representative comes to the middle school to listen to auditions. My son is still deciding whether he wants to attend. He's a pretty chill guy and likes his down time. He's already attending a different band camp with some friends, as well as a couple other summer commitments. I'll be sure to post if he goes or not. If you attended Blue Lake or something similar, what would your advice to my son be?
2. ToDaY is my daughter's high school art show. We attended last year because she had a couple pieces displayed from her jewelry and drawing classes. This year she is in AP art, so her portfolio is being shown! She did a 2D - drawing portfolio, with a theme of retaining childhood playfulness/innocence (she describes it way better, but I love all the drawings and I'm excited to see them shared). I think my niece has some ceramics in the show, and a couple of my son's friends are showing art as well. And I've come to know a few high schoolers in the last few years ;) They also do a silent auction for art club projects, to make it a self-funding club. So maybe I'll pick up some new art for the house.
3. I found out our work 'points' can be spent on LEGOs! We sometimes can get awards that come with points (because who really wants a raise, when you can get points!!?!) and you get some for some anniversaries. Anyway, I spent mine on a Gru and Minions set, and an inspiration building deck (ideas of how they make things). 

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Clean out the cupboards. See, sometimes I put new things! The top shelves of our cupboards are filled with (especially) cups and things that were gifts, prizes, whatever, that we literally never use. While my husband is still in town for a couple days, I want to clear off a couple shelves and have my family 'claim' what they want to keep, and I'll donate the rest.
2. Pack my lunch. Last week I packed a sandwich and chips for a day or two. I'd like to pack my lunch more consistently. The best plan, of course, is to pack it the night before so I don't run out of time, but just grab it and go. This gives me something to eat without worrying about spending money on food, and it gives me more time to read.
3. Hoping to work some overtime this coming week. Last week I got almost 6 hours of OT in. This week I should be able to squeeze out... 8, or 14 if I can convince some other team members to join me on Saturday. Then I'll get paid on the last day of spring break with my son, which will be nice :)

Hope wherever you are is getting toward spring, and hope you find something to make you happy each day.

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

Oxford High School presents Mary Poppins
March 1 @7pm; March 2 @ 2pm 
Visit OHSMusical.com for tickets.

South Lyon High School Theatre presents Into the Woods

March 1 @ 7pm; March 2 @ 2pm

Visit www.SLHSTheatre.com for info and tickets

Ignite your imagination and dive into an unforgettable Theatre experience in Rochester! Join us in Adams High School Theatre for our Spring Musical sensation, the Little Shop of Horrors! 

Tickets are vanishing fast-- secure your seat now before Audrey II and his quirky plants get you! Shows March 7, 14, 15 at 7:00 pm, and March 8 at 2:00 pm!

Visit https://adamstheatre.ludus.com/200472963 for tickets

Don’t miss Neil Simon’s hilarious comedy, LAUGHTER OF THE 23rd FLOOR. March 14-29. Tickets on sale now! Box Office: 248-608-9077 or at www.avonplayers.org

Coming soon, the classical world of Molière meets the nostalgic cheer of a 1990s sitcom when Flint Community Players presents: THE IMAGINARY INVALID!

PERFORMANCE DATES:

Friday, March 7 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, March 9 at 2:30 PM

Friday, March 14 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, March 16 at 2:30 PM

Tickets available at 810-441-9302 or flintcommunityplayers.com

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - February 23, 2025: Early Motivation/Ideas

I'm not sure if it's an actual drawback or benefit to my work schedule, but it's a lil after 5am on Sunday morning, and I'm wide awake. My alarm goes off for work Monday - Friday (and sometimes Saturday) at 4:20am, so even on the days I do fall back to sleep, I usually wake up by 4:30 to go potty (welcome to middle age?). Anyway. Today I woke up, went back to bed, and laid there with my eyes wide open. So I slipped next door to my home office, turned on the space heater, grabbed my vitamins and Red Bull, and decided to get something done. Welcome to my burst of productivity!

This morning I'm once again  joining with Caffeinated Reviewer's Sunday Post, and Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon. Random aside, these ladies are on point. I come and go, but they're both here, posted every week (and plenty in  between!). While I've been blogging quite a long time, they're here regularly for these weekly posts and much, much more. Kudos on a job well done!

What I'm reading this week:

I'm almost up to the last quarter of Little Women - and LOVING it! On my kindle, I'm on the second half of Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis. I love their casual writing style with unique, contemporary stories. This one is a possible 'glitch' (or potential intentional sabotage?) that sends all of the emails from Millie's drafts folder. See, Millie has been writing honest and emotional emails - without ever meaning to send  them - and leaving them in her drafts folder. Overnight, during a server malfunction, they all get sent. To the whole company, to her family, to her friends....everywhere! Ugh! Four stars so far, but I mostly want to find out if it was really a glitch...

Three Good Things:

1. Last week (Monday/Tuesday with my kids) was as awesome as expected. Daughter and her friend got their prom dresses, son has finished the only Fortnite Lego set he didn't have before last week, and I'm on the last bag of my Money Tree from Lego. I was also delighted to realize on Tuesday night that I was happier than I'd been in a while and didn't even think about work for at least those two days.
2. Winter has GOT to be ending soon, right? I'm completely over the cold, and especially the anxiety over driving in fresh snow - repeatedly!
3. I scheduled another week off early this summer to be the 'official' adult on my daughter's college orientation! Participating adults have to be paid for, so while our whole family is going up there, I'm the one going with the college kid. She is actually scheduled to stay in the dorm, but then the other three of us will stay at a hotel or whatever and be able to explore campus and the town as well. Can't wait!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Part of why I wasn't falling back to sleep was worrying about my volunteer fundraising goal with the local theatre boosters. For whatever reason, I'm having a hard time getting businesses to respond/commit with our regular dine-to-donate fundraisers (even restaurants who have participated previously!). So I'm going to pick a few dates and keep trying with a different place for each so I can get some booked. We also do Kroger (register your shopper card and they donate), a local graphic design shop for spirit wear, and a Amazon wish list to get things we need instead of buying. I think I'm finally going to start using my blog Facebook page to post these things, as well as a bunch of different dine to donates in the community, and other theatre performances in our part of the state. I've been meaning to do this for a long time.
2. My office got a lil progress last week. Before my super fun days with the kids on Monday and Tuesday, I was pretty much snowed in on Saturday and Sunday. So both days I spent a lil time sorting out trash, and hanging up some stuff in the closet. While I missed the concert I had a ticket for on Sunday, hubby did take us out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday night. So I suppose the 'goal' portion here is to keep going!
3. This week at work I start training a new team member. I'm going to try and talk less/smile more, in general. I plan to tell/show them what they need to know, but try to be positive about it and try to conceal everything I hate about being there every day. LOL If I can teach them to actually complete the investigation summary, that will be one less thing to hate, right? Hahahaha

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - February 16, 2025: Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary indeed! It is hubby's and my 19th wedding anniversary! He put up an absolutely lovely post on Instagram/Facebook <3 We went out to a steakhouse for dinner last night, but now he's on  a work trip. They had originally wanted him to stay in Indiana after working there last week and go to Florida with other co-workers today (because our weather is pretty sketchy lately), but he drove home as scheduled and we were able to go to a party on Friday night and out to dinner last night. He left really early this morning and his flight took off just a lil late. His potentially risky plan paid off, and he's back at work on schedule.

I'm at home with the kids, and posting with Sunday Salon/Readerbuzz and Sunday Post/Caffeinated Reviewer.

What I'm reading this week:

I finished reading and reviewing the Sylvia Plath biography - Rough Magic - and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I'm glad I read it as it was an astounding detailed history of Sylvia Plath's life, publications, and achievements. I finished Conditions of a Heart (4 stars) and Beneath the Poet's House (5 stars) on my kindle - reviews for both to follow on BooksIThinkYouShouldRead.

I've finally gotten back to reading my print copy of Little Women (in preparation for The Other March Sisters, which I have a review copy of since it's publishing soon). On my kindle right now is a pdf of An Inconvenient Wife (a Tudor Mystery about Hank Tudor's previous five wives, told mostly by his sixth wife).

Three Good Things:

These are so easy this week!! I have Monday and Tuesday off this week to match the kids' mid-winter break...

1. I finished my Lego Bonsai Tree yesterday :) You can build it with green leaves or pink (like spring), so opted for the pink. I was going to go to an orchestra concert at the local university today, but the roads look awful, so I decided my ticket price was a well-spent $25 investment in the arts, but I'll stay home.
2. Tomorrow I'll be prom-dress shopping with my daughter and her friend, and also stopping at Blick Art Materials store, and probably Ulta. I think we'll kick it all off with a great brunch at First Watch. I am hardore counting on the snow stopping to match the forecast, and the roads bein pretty well cleared off. 
3. Tuesday is my son's choices for the day. He likes a good brunch too, so we may start at First Watch again, then he wants to do possibly one of the Sonic characters at Build a Bear, lunch at Chick-fil-A, and (my favorite) pick up new Lego sets to bring home!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Depending on how long my stuff with the kids takes - or maybe later on this afternoon? - I would love to take a look at my goal list from 2024, so how it all ended, and make a new one for 2025. This year is a total trip so far, but not in a good way.
2. I've actually made a bit of progress in my office this weekend, being close to homebound with the weather. Just assume this will be on my list forever, eh?
3. One of my new habits lately is screenshotting recipes from Facebook as I scroll. I've tried a few so far, and would like to make it a goal to get the ingredients and try another one once hubs gets home at the end of the week. Never know when we'll find a new favorite!

Keep warm! Stay safe, and look out for your neighbors too :)