Quote of the Day

Nathan's sister, Lauren, and her friend, Sara, are visiting Colorado Springs this weekend. Nathan and I met them and Mommy Sue and Daddy Dan at The Egg and I for a late brunch. After a nice meal, the waitress approached the table and asked us if we'd like the ticket split up. Daddy Dan responded immediately.

"Give it to one of them," he said as he waved his arm to the other side of the table (where Lauren and Sara were sitting). "I've been paying for their meals for years! I think it's time they return the favor. I'll let them know when we're even!"

A few minutes later Daddy Dan picked up the tab anyway.

Quote of the Day

Yesterday, I opened a book about snakes to read with a student.

"Do you like snakes?" I asked her.

"No," the student responded. "But, I like baby snakes."

This morning, I opened a book about dinosaurs to read with the same student.

"Do you like dinosaurs?" I asked.

"No," the student responded. "But, I like baby dinosaurs."

This afternoon, I was reading a book about panda bears with that same student. She paused while turning the page.

"I like the babies," she said.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons follows a forty year friendship between five women who are neighbors living in Minneapolis. The lovely Audrey, mother to three boys, has attitude and an insatiable appetite for men. Merit, the shy wife of an abusive doctor, is quiet and insecure. Faith, mom to twins, works to maintain an image of perfection while protecting a dark secret from her past. Slip, a political advocate with a fiery personality, is tiny and dynamic. Kari, a young widow, holds on to her own secret concerning the adoption of her beautiful daughter. Centered around the book club they affectionately nickname AHEB, these women stand together in friendship as men come and go from their lives, children grow up and move away, books are read and discussed, and decades pass.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons is a book with much more depth than it's title implies. It's testament to the encompassing, life-affirming power of female friendships is woven between Landvik's light-hearted, playful stories of family life on Freesia Court. This is a perfect vacation book for a day on the beach or a light read for a night on the couch. The plot is engaging and the storytelling is simple and straightforward. It would make the perfect gift for a special girlfriend!

A Weekend in Denver

Nathan's college friends from all over the country traveled to Denver on Friday to spend the weekend laughing, drinking, eating and reminiscing!

Cass & Sarah traveled from Baltimore.

Ian & Annika flew in from Minneapolis.

Nate & Liz drove down from Boulder.

Nathan and I drove up from Colorado Springs.

Angie traveled from Frisco, CO...

...and we all spent a cozy weekend at Dave & Jen's home in Denver.

It was a relaxing, laid back, fun-filled weekend!

We arrived Friday evening just in time for dinner. Jen and Sarah made some delicious quesadillas complete with chips and guacamole. Yummy!

After everybody had arrived Friday evening, we played a rousing game of charades. Highlights included some creative movements describing favorites like Ruby Soho, The Humpty Dance, and Moby Dick.

The night lasted well into the morning and we woke late to fresh coffee, delicious pancakes, and cranberry bars. Yummy, again!

"I love pickles. I would order a plate of them if it were appropriate!" -Jen

After eating, we headed to a nearby park to play Bocce Ball.


At the park, Bocce balls were thrown across roads, bounced off the cement base of a statue of a miner, "accidentally" flung at the statue itself, and launched over trees, taking a few limbs on their way down! Somehow, no humans were injured.

As the sun set, we gobbled pizza in the park before heading back to Dave & Jen's warm house.


After a few of us took naps, we headed to a Mexican restaurant called Lime for a late dinner. Yummy, once more. Back at Jen & Dave's we sat around, drank some more, and played a little Popcorn.

"I'm like anchovies. I'm an acquired taste!" -Ian

Sunday was another late morning and before people started heading back home, we pulled together for a couple of group shots.



On Sunday, we made an attempt to go bowling and when that didn't work out we criss-crossed the area desperately looking for a restaurant that would seat the remaining eight of us and get us out of the bitter cold. Despite our best efforts to find a one-of-a-kind, local restaurant, we ended up at Heidi's Deli after every other place on the block turned us away (apparently there were too many of us). We warmed ourselves over steaming cups of soup and tasty sandwiches (so yummy!) before Nathan and I said our goodbyes and headed back to the Springs.

We had such a great time and it was exactly the fun weekend we needed to take our mind off everything at home!

Where Were You...

...when the first black man became President of the United States?

That's definitely the question of the day.

Unfortunately, I was in the doctor's office waiting to have a pelvic ultrasound. Not where I wanted to be at that moment.

On Sunday evening I began to have excruciating pain in my abdomen that did not let up all night long. I snatched only a few minutes of sleep because the pain was so intense that I was only able to doze for minutes at a time. I considered having Nathan take me to the emergency room but just kept telling myself to hold off until my doctor's appointment the next day. (Ironically, I had a check-up already scheduled for Monday.)

The doctor was concerned about the obvious pain I was in and wanted tests run to find out the cause. I was waiting to have those tests done this morning while Barack Obama was preparing to become the new president.

I am still waiting for my test results.

In other health news, Nathan has experienced some recent health issues as well. Two weeks ago, Nathan woke early in the morning and headed to the bathroom where he passed out on the bathroom floor. A similar incident occurred again on Saturday night. He became faint and weak and virtually unresponsive. He did not completely pass out but probably only because he was already laying down. This has happened a few times in Nathan's past (passing out, usually after waking and standing up). He has an appointment with a cardiologist tomorrow afternoon.

Our (personal) world seems a little scary right now but, even in the midst of our fears, I did feel comfort watching the joy in faces all over the world as people watched with awe as Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office. It's wonderful to see this special event bring so many people together.

Finally, in a show of familial solidarity, Nathan and I woke up this morning to find that Chloey had been sick three different times last night. She's certainly not about to let anybody else steal the show around here!

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

In The Lake of Dead Languages Jane Hudson returns to her former school, the Heart Lake School for Girls located in the Adirondacks, as the newly instated Latin teacher. Recently separated from her husband, Jane moves into a small cottage near Heart Lake with her young daughter. As she begins teaching classes and developing relationships with her students, reminders of her own experience as a student at Heart Lake begin to resurface and Jane is forced to confront her past and the decisions that led to the tragic drowning deaths of three childhood friends.

A couple of years ago, my friend Erin told me about this great author, Carol Goodman, who writes wonderful mysteries. I read and enjoyed The Seduction of Water and then recently I borrowed this novel from Erin. The Lake of Dead Languages, while predictable, was wonderfully scary and completely engrossing. The setting of an all-girls boarding school at a lake in the Adirondacks was perfect and I loved how the lake itself became the central character of the novel around which all events revolved. Goodman's descriptions of the lake and it's winter noises added to the sinister tone and the furtive feel of the book. It was totally creepy. So creepy, in fact, that one windy night I was home alone reading and became convinced I could hear noises outside the house and was sure I saw the shadows of somebody moving across the window outside. I had to put the book down for awhile and read something a little tamer until I finally felt the prickly fear begin to seep out of my bones. I was dying to finish it so, even though it was late, I inevitably pulled the book back out and picked up where I left off, determined not to let my fright stop me. It's that good!

If you like mysteries, you'll love this one!

SRES Girls

A new girl stole the show this month!

You've Probably Been Wondering

As winner of my very first giveaway, Lauren was able to choose which book of my top 8 of 2008 she wanted to own a copy of. I'm sure you've been dying to know which one she chose! Here's the brand new book ready to be enjoyed by it's brand new owner!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

It's a good one!

SOS

Nathan and I have the daunting task of teaching Song of Solomon to 6-10 teenagers tomorrow at youth group. So, naturally, we have been preoccupied tonight trying to figure out how to avoid the inevitable nervous giggling and snorting at verses such as...

"You are stately as a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its branches." -7:7 NRSV

...while trying to draw out any meaningful guidance the kids might actually take seriously.

It's a delicate balance.

And, I won't lie, the occasional giggle and snort may have emerged from my own mouth during the planning session, especially once we began looking for entertaining videos of doves and gazelles (as both animals play a central role in the book) to incorporate into our lesson, but found ourselves distracted by inappropriate videos of all sorts of animals.

It's no wonder the acronym of Song of Solomon is SOS.

A New iPod

I have been thinking for a while about joining the rest of the country and purchasing an iPod. I've weighed the pros and cons and held out for quite a while. Last night, the stars finally seemed to align and everything indicated that the time had come.

It all started with an innocent comment from my friend, Danica, who mentioned that she was enjoying her latest "best read" via her iPod.

Insert envy.

Then, as luck would have it, the birthday celebration dinner for Nathan's aunt last night just happened to be located a mere three stores down from an Apple store... and I'm not talking about the fruit.

Insert convenience.

Finally, there was the essential ingredient that every person contemplating the serious decision to buy the newest technological gadget should have.... teenagers. Stir into the mix four teenagers with more knowledge of any device beginning with 'i' than I could ever ask for, and you have what I like to refer to as.... the right time to buy!

Insert purchase.

(Really, how could I resist with a personal consulting committee ready to escort me to the store?)

I don't usually justify such big personal purchases so I am having to squelch the nagging feeling of guilt inside, but listening to my latest book club novel on the iPod while I make supper helps drown out any doubts!

Mommy Sue's Chicken Divan

This is a superb recipe that was passed to me by Nathan's mom, or Mommy Sue as we like to call her. I made a double batch of it this week and took some to a friend who recently became a mommy herself. I hope they like it because it's certainly a favorite in this household!

2- 10 oz. pkgs. of frozen broccoli or 2 bunches of fresh broccoli

2 cups cooked chicken or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and boned

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Topping:

1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

OR

French-friend onions (my favorite)

Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until tender; drain. Arrange stalks in greased 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch baking dish. Place chicken on top. Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice, and curry powder; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine crumbs and butter (or open french fried onion container!); sprinkle over all. Bake casserole at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Trim with pimento strips if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

And the winner is....

Lauren!

The random number generator chose comment number 1 as the winner!

Congratulations!

E-mail me or leave a comment letting me know which book from my list of the top 8 books of 2008 you would like to receive (oh, and I guess I need your new address). Happy reading!

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

Isabel Dalhousie, an editor for a philosophical journal called the Review of Applied Ethics, witnesses a terrible accident when a man falls to his death at a concert she is attending. Unable to get the accident out of her mind, Isabel finds herself searching for answers and in the process discovers more than she bargained for.

This novel, by the author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is a mystery of sorts. Isabel makes for an interesting protagonist as she halfheartedly attempts to solve a murder while pondering ethical dilemmas on everything from littering to proper manners. Her thought processes make the book seem rambly and disjointed. I thought the book was hard to follow and often found my own mind wandering as I read.

However, there were some interesting characters in the book (though not particularly well-developed). Isabel's niece, Cat, continuously finds herself falling in love with the wrong man. Her intuitive housekeeper, Grace, makes snap judgements of people immediately after meeting them and is usually correct. Isabel's friend, Jamie, plays the bassoon and only reluctantly helps her search out what happened to cause the man at the concert to plummet to his death. Despite the characters, I think the book lacked focus and wasn't very interesting. If you decide to read a book by Alexander McCall Smith, it would be better to start with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It's much better.

_______

If you're interested in the opportunity to win a free book, don't forget to post a comment about the best book/books you read in 2008 here. Tomorrow is the last day!

January Sunset

As I stepped outside, the whole world was pink. This was the view from our back porch...

And so was this...

Quote of the Day

Just before beginning a test a cute lil' kindergartner poses this question: "How do people learn how to cheat?"

"How do people learn how to cheat?" I asked, surprised. Maybe she wasn't feeling too confident in her abilities when presented with one of her first in a lifetime of assessments.

"Yeah, how do they learn to be a cheater like you?"

My jaw dropped. "Huh?" I racked my brain for some reason she would think I was cheating. Then it hit me.

"You mean, how do people learn how to be a teacher?"

She nodded.

"Well, they go to school to learn to be teachers."

She didn't buy that.

"But, what makes them a teacher?" she asked, frustrated. "Does God make them a teacher?"

I pictured the years of schoolwork and classes and papers and tests that awaited this sweet girl.

"Yep, God makes teachers," I told her.

With a little help from other teachers, I thought to myself.

Back with a Bang

I really didn't intend to go so long without posting.

Honest.

After New Years I became bear-like. Just as bears gorge on berries and then curl up in their cozy caves to sleep away the winter, I gorged on family, food, drink, and celebration and then curled up on the cozy couch to read away the break. I woke up late. I showered after lunch. I padded around in my slipper socks (thanks, Mom!). I ate (and peed) whenever I needed to (I know the rest of you teachers out there understand). For a change of pace, I moved from the couch to the recliner and played a game of Spider Solitaire in between chapters. I rarely left the house. So, you see, I've been hibernating in my own way. Soaking up the last lovely days of break before trudging back to work.

Which I did this morning.

No more staying up late and sleeping in.

Gone are the afternoon showers and the pajama ensemble (thanks, Sue!).

These are the days of make-up and trousers, red pens and cap erasers, ABC's and 123's.

They came back with a bang.

Top 8 Books of 2008: GIVEAWAY!

I read this year. A lot.

There are a lot of things in my life that contributed to my ability to read so much more this year than I have in a long time. I had no wedding to plan. I had no graduate classes to study for. I wasn't starting a brand new job. I made the difficult decision to cut way back on tutoring students after school. And, it helped that I have discovered a lot of cheaper ways to get my hands on books (although nothing is really cheaper than the good 'ole public library which I live a lot closer to than I used to)!

For the first time in my life, thanks to one of my favorite websites- goodreads, and with the help of this blog, I have been able to keep a thorough account of my reading for full calendar year (scroll down for a complete list). I know exactly how many books I have read (52, not counting any picture books that I read for my job) and I actually remember what they were about (because I took the time to write about most of them).

I have read many really great books this year, and I have also read some lousy ones. So that you don't waste your time on the lousy ones, here is my list (in no particular order) of the...

8 best books I read in the year 2008.

(Note: I only considered "grown up" books for this list.)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini:

This book by the author of The Kite Runner will make you proud to be a woman. It's wonderfully heartbreaking.

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier:

This kind of historical fiction is exactly what I love most- a story that is captivating and, simultaneously, makes me seek more information about an historical figure.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving:

This book will require an investment of time if you plan to read all 543 pages, but the story is quite remarkable. The heroic and unusual protagonist will stay with you long after his story is over.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls:

This frank and straightforward memoir of neglect will eat away at your emotions even as the author who experienced it stays unemotional in it's retelling.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen:

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant... an elephant's faithful- one hundred percent!" A must-read!

Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos:

Somehow this novel has slipped under the radar as I had never heard of it before it was "assigned" reading for my book club. It's definitely worth seeking out.

Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock:

This book broke my heart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See:

Lisa See creates spellbinding anticipation through her exquisite use of foreshadowing to tell an achingly beautiful and bittersweet story about friendship and regret.

Now for the fun part.... my first giveaway!

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what book(s) was/were your favorite in 2008 and you could win a copy of one of my favorites from 2008! Next Friday (January 9) I will use a random number generator to select one of the comments, and that commenter will get a brand new copy of one of the books (his/her choice) from my list of 2008 faves above! Good luck!

2008 Books

The complete list of all the books I read in 2008....

Adult Fiction:
-Snow Island by Katherine Towler (December, 2008)
-Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (December, 2008)
-A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (December, 2008)
-The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (November, 2008)
-PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (November, 2008)
-The Memory of Water by Karen White (October, 2008)
-Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (October, 2008)
-The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (October, 2008)
-Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon (September, 2008)
-The Shack by William P. Young (September, 2008)
-Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos (August, 2008)
-Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst (July, 2008)
-Mercy by Jodi Picoult (July, 2008)
-Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock (July, 2008)
-The Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman (June, 2008)
-The Host by Stephanie Meyer (June, 2008)
-Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell (June, 2008)
-The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler (May, 2008)
-Hold Tight by Harlan Coben (May, 2008)
-The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond (May, 2008)
-The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman (April, 2008)
-The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneggar (April, 2008)
-Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (March, 2008)
-A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (March, 2008)
-What Memories Remain by Cait London (February, 2008)
-Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (February, 2008)
-See Jane Die by Erica Spindler (January, 2008)
-Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (January, 2008)

Autobiographies/Memoirs:
-The Color of Water by James McBride (July, 2008)
-The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (March, 2008)

Short Story Collections:
-The Disobedience of Water by Sena Jeter Naslund (December, 2008)
-Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates (November, 2008)

Adult Nonfiction:
-Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children by Fountas & Pinnell (October, 2008)
-The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (September, 2008)

Young Adult Novels:
-Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (November, 2008)

Children's Chapter Books:
-The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (December, 2008)
-Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor (November, 2008)
-Kokopelli's Flute by Will Hobbs (July, 2008)
-Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (June, 2008)
-The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (June, 2008)
-Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (May, 2008)
-Nim's Island by Wendy Orr (April, 2008)
-The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (March, 2008)

Children's Books:
-Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae (October, 2008)
-Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (October, 2008)
-First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (October, 2008)
-Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles (October, 2008)
-If Animals Kissed Goodnight by Ann Whitford Paul (September, 2008)
-Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (March, 2008)
-And Tango Makes Three by J. Richardson & P. Parnell (February, 2008)

Books Nathan and I Read Together:
-The Most Important Year in a Man/Woman's Life by Bobbie & Robert Wolgemuth & Susan & Mark DeVries (December, 2008)
-The Mother-In-Law Dance by Annie Chapman (January, 2008)

Snow Island by Katherine Towler

Alice Daggett lives on Snow Island with her mother and younger brother. Since her father's death five years ago, 16-year-old Alice has helped her mother run the island's small store.

George Tibbits grew up on Snow Island in the well-known "twin houses" with his two aunts. Years earlier, he left to serve in the army and returned to the island in 1919 to find both the women who cared for him dead in their respective homes. Now, he returns to the island every summer in an effort to reconcile their deaths.

Snow Island is a quiet novel that unfolds during three summers on the fictional island in the early 1940s. As the United States is pulled into World War II, the islanders are affected by the conflict in ways they never could have expected, and George and Alice learn hard lessons about love and life during a tumultuous time in history.

This simple novel was beautifully written. The romantic island setting provides the perfect backdrop for the despondent characters as they sort through their relationships with one another and watch as the war changes life on the island. An irresistible melancholy permeates this novel and it's characters have stayed with me even after finishing the book. Snow Island is the first of a trilogy about the island (although Towler is still writing the third book) and after finishing it, I will definitely seek out the next book, Evening Ferry, to find out what happens to Alice and George and their island life.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Lily, an eighty-year-old Chinese widow, tells the story of her life in the novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. As a daughter, Lily is raised by her own mother to one day leave her natal family and join the family of her husband where she will serve her mother-in-law until her death. It was customary in that time for Chinese girls to have their feet bound in an excruciatingly painful process involving softening and breaking the bones. Lily is fortunate to have beautiful feet and a successful foot-binding experience which brings her good fortune and marriage to a wealthy family. Because of her beautifully shaped feet, Lily is also given the rare opportunity to have laotong, a special relationship with another Chinese girl that is presumed to last a lifetime (rare in that culture). This relationship is built around the idea that these girls will remain "faithful" in their friendship to one another for their entire lives and this faithfulness is even more sacred than that of a husband and wife (as concubines were common). This book is about Lily's relationship with Snow Flower, her laotong, and the secret language, nu shu, that Chinese women created (and Lily and Snow Flower used) to communicate with one another. This beautiful novel centers around the feelings of regret that consume Lily as she looks back over her life and her relationship with Snow Flower.

I was enthralled by this book and the story of Lily and Snow Flower's unique relationship in a culture I knew nothing about. The descriptions of Chinese traditions were often painful to read and left me awestruck as I struggled to understand their strange customs. More than any other author I have read, Lisa See creates a spellbinding anticipation through her exquisite use of foreshadowing. Perfectly formed phrases like "Later I would do something like this again, for very different reasons and with disastrous results" and "He still did not want me to go, and I wish I had listened" masterfully propel the story forward and kept this reader's interest piqued the entire 253 pages. The achingly beautiful and bittersweet friendship of Lily and Snow Flower is enthralling and left me dwelling in Lily's heart wrenching regret and spilling silent tears as I turned the last page. It is a wonderful book.

Happy New Year!

Stay tuned for my very first blog giveaway!