Just a few Friday funnies

Want to see the picture that inspired my header?



This was taken one weekend at the lake while we were four-wheeling (or muddin', trailin', off-roading - whatever you want to call it!). For the record, I had no idea that guy was behind me! He could have scared the bejeezus out of me if he had jumped out!

That picture just makes me laugh! It was such a fun night!

Another thing that made me smile this week was my most recent letter from my pen pal! She's in the fourth grade at a local elementary school and she's the sweetest little girl!

Here's what she said this week:


(all mechanics and punctuation written as she wrote it)

Dear Amber, Thank you for your kind and nice letter. I really appreciate it. I feel so happy that you are a Cyclone fan. My favorite color is red, purple and pink. Yes, I love shopping. The last movie I saw at the theaters was Tangled. It is really funny, you should watch it. If you ever watched it you gotta tell me your favorite character is. My favorite character is Repunzel. My favorite food is chiken nuggets. My favorite snack is Cheetos. What is your favorite snack? I play with my little brother and sister. I have a Question. Do you know this named lacey? I need to know if you are friends with because she is my friends pen pal. By the way are you left handed or right handed? I am a right handed. Are you a blond girl or a brown girl? I am a brown girl. And I am hoping you are a brown girl too. What is your favorite subject? my favorit Subject is writing I love to write. I also love to read just like you do. My favorite book is Percy Jackson Just to remind you. I also love this booked Spider Wick Chronicels. I just started to read the book. It is really good.

Questions
What is your teachers name?
Do you have a best friend?
Who is you best friend?

PS. Do you have any picture for me?

PPS. What is your favorite color? I'm guessing it's blue

Poem for Amber: Chiken noodles Chiken chiken chiken noodles noodles
goes with chiken
that is why it is always delisouse.
I hope you love chiken
noodles they are really delisouse.
Yeah chiken noodles.

I hope you love the poem because i did the best i could

Omg. CUTE!

Seriously?! This girl is the best! I cannot wait to meet her at the end of the semester.

But....more importantly... HOW am I going to tell her I'm a blond girl???!!

So, tell me, what was the highlight of YOUR week?? Happy Friday!

Nightly routines

Via

We all have them and we all hate them.

Our nightly routine. As women we have so much more to do then men do.

Although I hate doing it, I'm pretty religious about my nightly routine and hate when there is a night that I can't do it.

Here's mine:

1. Change into pj's
2. Put on a headband to keep hair off my face
3. Wash face
4. Apply astringent (I swear this is the secret that kept me from breaking out - for me, it totally works)
5. Take vitamins, two melatonin and any other medications necessary (ibruprofen, Rx... etc)
6. Take out contacts
7. Brush teeth
8. Grab laptop, glass of water, book and planner
9. Head to bed
10. Write the next day's blog post (yep, I'm half asleep when I write these)
11. Read

Then it's....

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

What's your nightly routine?

Wordless Wednesday

Add my laptop, and this is how I am spending the majority of my time lately...

Ten on Tuesday

Hello!

My Monday started off quite busy. I did an overnight Sunday night, so once I got the clients up, fed and out the door, I headed home to get ready for class. After class I was scheduled at a different site until 10:30pm. Although it is quite a bit of downtime while working with the clients, it's still exhausting because you have to be aware at all times.

Kind of like parenting, I suppose. ;)

The highlight of my day was doing the 30 Day Shred with the ladies in the afternoon... most clients have an exercise goal and I love exercising with them. Today I suggested a workout dvd that was only 20 minutes (hehehe, see where this is going?) and they go, "Pshhhh! Twenty minutes!!? Easy peasy!"

I evilly giggled to myself and said, "Ok! Let's hop to it!"

They wanted to kill me. Or perhaps they wanted to kill Jillian Michaels. Probably both. They did it though! It was awesome. We used soup cans as weights! I wish I could post a picture! It was cute. :)

Well, it's Tuesday and it's been a few weeks since I've done ToT, so here goes!

Be sure to link up with Chelsea this week, she's got a great giveaway going on!

1. How do you take your coffee?
Non-dairy creamer and five Splendas. (I like Splenda. A lot). I've been meaning to try that Bailey's creamer - it looks delish!

2. Do you prefer soft or crispy chocolate chip cookies?
Definitely soft! Preferably still warm, too. Mmm.... Cookies...

3. Do you wear a belt everyday?
Nope, I hardly every wear a belt actually. Unless it's an accessory to an outfit, like a dress.

4. What is your favorite color combination?
I love the colors red and purple together, especially in the fall! Lately I have been a big fan of the

5. Do you like sour candy?
Sure do! I don't prefer it, but I do like it.

6. How often do you do laundry?
About once a week. Anything less than that and the laundry is a little out of control (and I'm out of bath towels).

7. Did you ever wear braces?
Yep, for two years. I got lucky, but still hated them.

8. Are you good at Roman Numerals?
Until about 10 or so...

9. What is your favorite form of social media?
Definitely Twitter! I have withdrawals and worry about what I'm missing if I can't check every couple hours or so...

10. How do you feel about chin dimples?
I think they can be endearing!

Today I am subbing in an Art room. The kids are working on their "final projects" and I'm curious to see what that entails! Maybe I can sneak some pictures of their work to post tomorrow... (doubtful, but maybe).

Were you a fan of art class? What was your favorite "special" in school? If you participate in ToT please let me know so I can stop by and read your answers!

September recap

September FLEW by this year! They just go faster and faster, don't they?

(See? Another comment about time flying. What.is.wrong.with. me?)

A lot happened this month and I thought it would be fun to look back on it. I've never done one of these monthly recaps, similar to Lisa's, but I think I might start!

Books read:
This month I read six books - a little higher than my normal average! This month I read four YA books, so that is probably why.

The Murderer's Daughters - this one was for Books 'n Bars and you can find my review here!

Still Missing - this was for Emily's book club and I loved it! I have Chevy Stevens second novel and need to figure out when I am going to be able to read it!! For the month of October we're reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning - feel free to join us!

The Giver - Such a classic! This month I figured out that I did not read this when I was in school, although I was positive I had. I am in love with this book and know that I will re-read it again someday!

Matilda - Another classic! I had to read this book for one of my classes and it was so nice to revisit a childhood favorite! I am also a fan of the movie, the little girl that played Matilda was perfect in that role.

Anna and the French Kiss - LOVED this book! Such a wonderful, sweet story set in one of the most romantic settings in the world. If you're a fan of YA I absolutely recommend this book!

Vengeance - The final book in the Private series. It's bittersweet, but it was definitely time for this series to close.


Pets:
The dogs went to the vet this month to get their heart worm tests and shots. They also had their yearly checkup with the vet - they're all doing great! Zeke ran into his old owners at the Farmer's Market this month as well. It was really funny! This random woman came up to me and asked if my dog's name was Zeke. It was the mom of the girl that gave him to me! She was so excited to see him and I think Zeke knew it was her!

Favorite workouts:
At the end of September I finally gave Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred a chance and am loving it! It's such a QUICK workout that really seems to work - so far anyway! I'm hoping I can keep it up and shred almost everyday in October. I love setting up my laptop right in front of the tv on a stand and doing the shred while watching tv. It takes my mind off of some of the tougher moves and I can go longer without wimping out.

Subbing jobs:
This month I subbed in "in-school suspension", a family & consumer science class (home ec), physics and instrumental music. They were all great and I would definitely work in those rooms again.

Classes:
I am loving my children's lit class! What's not to love when you talk about books for three hours a week and get graded on reading YA novels?! Basically my idea of heaven. In September I had a weekend class that happened to fall on the weekend of the Iowa/Iowa State game. I came this close to dropping the class in order to go to the game, but decided against that in favor of making an adult decision (ugh). I'm still bummed I missed it, because we WON, but I'm glad that class is out of the way

Music:
As usual I listened to mainly oldies - did you know that about me? I am obsessed with oldies, my car radio is almost always on our local oldies station. I did discover the Pandora Postal Heights station and listened to that quite a bit. Such perfect music for fall.

TV:
I'm so glad fall tv is here! So far I am loving Revenge, Modern Family, The Middle, The Biggest Loser, New Girl, Pioneer Woman, 90210, and Grey's Anatomy. I really do not have time for much more! (Good lord, I hope not. That's a lot of tv).

Movies:
This month I walked out of a movie! A client and I went to see My Idiot Brother and we were both hating it, so we walked out! I should have checked the ratings closer (my bad) because it had several inappropriate parts and the client I was with looked horrified. I felt terrible. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. I meant to go see Sarah's Key and Midnight in Paris before it was gone from the theaters, but didn't get a chance. I'll have to wait for dvd!

Blogging:
I have been focusing A LOT more on my blogging and maintaining a regular posting schedule. I think it's become a habit now and when I consider not posting on a weekday I get a little nervous. I hate when a regular blogger doesn't post and doesn't let us know he/she's not posting. Makes me worry something happened! This month two of my best friends started their own blogs as well! It's so exciting to see people you love enjoy something that you have a deep passion for! Check out Reflections from Ang and Observations by Miss Oakley!
This month I also got a new blog design! Krystyn from Krizzy Designs did a fantastic job and I am so in love with my new blog look! Next up, my own domain!

Overall, September was a great month, but I am ready for fall! I can't wait for the leaves to continue to fall and crunch under my feet, the cool air to crisper and crisper and (of course) the adorable and comfy fall wardrobe!

In October I am making one trip to Minneapolis to see my close friend, Lesli. Heading out on a shopping trip with the girls to Williamsburg and participating in Race for the Cure for the first time. Should be a fun month!

How was your September? What's on deck for you in October?

We've got a winner!

Crap. How is it October 2nd already?

Am I going to say something along those lines every day in October? Probably.

Gosh, I'm turning into such an old person.

Anyway... yesterday we headed up to our old stomping grounds: Ames, Iowa to tailgate for our beloved Cyclones! Despite getting out butts kicked by Texas we still had a blast and I had so much fun! I have about a bajillion pictures (yes, a bajillion), so get ready for a very picture heavy post this week!

But, first I have some business to take care of. Giveaway business!!

Wanna know who the winner is?! Using the extremely scientific method of random.org we have determined our winner...

It's Lisa, from Lisa's Yarns! Congratulations!

I'm so excited to send her some banned books! Lisa chose A Wrinkle in Time and she get's to pick one more between Catcher in the Rye, Go Ask Alice and The Hunger Games!

This was definitely fun and I cannot wait to do another giveaway sometime!

How'd your team do this weekend? Hopefully better than us! We got killed! :(

Books 'n Bars recap @ High Life Lounge (Des Moines, IA)

I cannot believe we just completed the fifth month of Books 'n Bars and are now beginning the sixth month - holy-freakin-cow time is fllyyyying!

(ugh, everytime I say that I feel approximately 84 years old).

Aaaanyway, we met on Sunday night to discuss The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers at High Life Lounge in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.

For those of you that may be a little new to ALPITC, Books 'n Bars is a book club I started over the summer for anyone that is interested in reading some good books, having a discussion about said good books and checking out a new bar in the Des Moines area. We meet once a month and always at a new place. At each meeting we have spent approximately 90 minutes-2 hours eating dinner, having a couple drinks and enjoying each others company.

We chose the novelty bar, High Life Lounge this month because A. It's cheap, B. It's awesome and C. Why not?! It's fun!

High Life Lounge looks like your grandparents basement in the 70s with orange shag carpet, worn in leather booths and chairs with old fashioned 70s decor everywhere. They serve beers like PBR and, of course, Miller High Life. They serve food like goulash and tuna casserole, and they're particularly known for their bacon wrapped tator tots. Yes, bacon wrapped! They were even featured on Man vs. Food a couple years ago. Every time I go there I get the cheeseburger with tator tots that costs $2.99. No, I am not kidding, it is really that cheap!

Ok, on to the book!

Everyone was a pretty big fan of the book and liked it a lot. I, however, was not. I did not realize I was such a critical reader, but I think as I am getting older I am becoming much more critical of writing styles and novel development.

Before you think I hated it, let me tell you what I did like! (Because there were things I liked!) I liked how the book started out dramatic right away. From page one there was drama and action, so it really pulled me in, which is something I really need an author to do to keep me interested. I also liked the plot of the story. It was interesting and I thought it was very realistic. So many children grow up with domestic abuse and have lifelong issues with their parents that are very real. I could see some people that are in that position struggle to read through this book and re-live the issues that Lulu and Merry go through.

What I didn't like about the book was how slow it was in the middle. I think it took over a week to read this, which is strange for a book of this genre and length for me. For about half of the book nothing happened! The first quarter and the last quarter of the book held all of the action, and I think that I need more of that kind of intensity to keep me intrigued. I also didn't like that the mother's character wasn't developed a bit more. She was only in the book for the first chapter or so and we hardly learned anything about her before she died. It would have been nice if the family had been developed a little more and we could have gotten to know them.

Overall I give the book 3 out of 5 stars. I would still absolutely recommend this book though. I was the only one in the group that wasn't particularly impressed, which is kind of an oddity, so there is a good chance you would still like it!

Let me know if you read it!!

For the month of October we are reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I am a little nervous because I have had friends that hated that book and then I have met others that gush about it... guess we'll see!