Books, Books, Books!

Hi All!

It is time for a look at my most recent reading!

First up is a two pack from Debbie Macomber which contains the novels: Ready for Romance and Ready for Marriage.


These two novels are great, easy reads full of fun. In the first, Jessica meets up with her teenage crush as an adult. The man, Evan's, family expects Jessica to help Evan get over a tragic heartbreak.

Jessica ends up working for Evan's family business where she is thrown together with both Evan and his big brother, Damian. Of course, things don't turn out exactly as the family expected!

As usual, Macomber delivers good romance with some fun twists.

The second novel revolved around Mary Jo, the woman who broke Evan's heart. She is from a working class family while Evan's family is wealthy. How can the two ever be together with such different backgrounds? To compound the problem, Evan has his sights set on politics and Mary Jo just knows she could never be a the kind of wife who would be an asset to a politician.

If you are in the mood for some light romance without torrid sex scenes, pick up Ready for Love by Debbie Macomber.

Next is a novel filled with suspense, revenge, and sisterhood by Fern Michaels, Lethal Justice. Apparently, this is one of a series of books by Fern Michaels revolving around a group of women called "The Sisterhood." While I haven't read any of the other books in the series, this book didn't require any prerequisite reading to enjoy.

The Sisterhood is formed of women who have been wronged in some way and who desire revenge. Each act of revenge is meticulously planned out in advance and the women remain anonymous in their vengeance. As the plan for revenge is plotted in this novel, there are several bumps in the trail. One bump involves two nosy reporters. Another bump involved the a reclusive billionaire who has retreated from reality at her estate in Spain.

As the women work through their plan and deal with the unexpected bumps, the reader is kept at the edge of her seat waiting anxiously to see what will happen to the women, the object of the revenge, and those unexpected "bumps."

This is another good read which zips along at a good pace and which is a fabulous read if you want to just sit back and relax with a good book.

Finally is a book from my stash of "Grandma's books." Death in Cyprus by M.M. Kaye is reminiscent of a good Agatha Christie mystery with a bit more "spice."

Amanda is on her first trip away from her strict and old fashioned guardian. She is visiting Cyprus, a world which, to her, seems filled with romance and fancy. Amanda's trip starts off on the wrong foot when, on the ship to Cyprus, a woman dies in her cabin! Certain that the woman was poisoned, Amanda enters a world of mystery, uncertainty, lies, and deceit.

Rooming with an eccentric old woman, Miss Moon, Amanda gets sucked into the mystery as her life is threatened because of what she knows or what someone thinks she knows.

This novel is full of many twists and turns which make the pages turn rapidly. While not a novel which is impossible to put down, it is one which you want to pick back up after just a little time. It is a fun read and the solution isn't quite what you would expect.

If you are looking for some good Spring Break reads, pick up one of these books.

Trisha

Voice Update: Still doing well. Yesterday I wasn't feeling well and ended up sleeping most of the day so I didn't get a whole lot of massage or exercises done. Hopefully, today will be better!

Some Updates

Hi All!

Do you remember me tell you about the crack in our foundation and trying to get the warranty company to cover the repair? Well, that didn't work out, of course! We had a foundation company come out last Friday (while I was getting ready for DI - good planning, Hubby!) to evaluate things and tell us what was going on. It seems our house isn't too bad - yet. The front corner near the laundry room has gone down 8/10 of an inch. That is what caused the kitchen tile to crack.

The solution? Get helical piers installed to support the front of the house so it doesn't continue to sink and make things worse (think more cracks in the floor, cracks in the drywall, doors that don't work, etc.). We haven't signed a contract yet but I am pretty sure it is just a matter of time.

There are a few good things about the foundation repair. First, they won't have to dig up my floors - all work will be done from the outside. Second, it will only take a day for the repairs to be made. Third, it comes with a lifetime, transferable warranty (of course we saw how well the warranty on the foundation worked out for us!). Fourth, in the course of the digging, we just might lose some of our "ugly" bushes out front. In fact, we are thinking this is a good excuse to just tear out all the landscaping in the front and replace it with smaller and fewer shrubs. I am excited.

The bad things? Well, they won't fix our floors so we will still need to do that on our own. We will have to actually get to work on the front landscaping instead of simply putting it off indefinitely. Finally - it is going to cost money!

What else to tell you about - oh, the front door handle which wasn't latching because it kept getting stuck. A little WD 40 and the thing is serviceable again! Yeah! We will need to replace it eventually but . . . we have other things going on right now!

Hmmm. Oh - did I mention that my car was scraped at the DI tournament? It is only the bumper and not too much damage. However, Hubby's car also has a scratch on it - in the driver's door. He isn't too happy about that!

Last, but by no means least (because there will always be SOMETHING going wrong in our lives), all of my DI stuff which had taken over the living room and the guest room - it is all packed up and stowed away neatly. Now I only need to transfer it to the person who will be taking over for next year!

That is about it for today! Now that DI is over I will get back to reading blogs again. Fun!

Trisha

Voice Update: My voice is rocking! Of course, after the weekend I don't want to talk - AGAIN! But - that is just part of the "game" these days, I guess! I am getting on track with my exercises and massage again now that I am not so stressed!

I survived!

Hi All!

Well, Saturday is over and so is the Destination Imagination tournament. It was a LOOOOONG day but, I survived and actually had a little fun as well. The most fun was talking to the different teams as they registered for IC and then talking to some teams after they finished their challenge. I really enjoy kids.

Lugging all the materials upstairs was a bit of a trial but, luckily, there was an elevator and we were able to borrow a dolly! Score! Friday night, the night we got most stuff set up, I was very lucky to have some helpers. Hubby, another couple, and a young woman all helped get stuff in shape. It only took about 2 and a half hours!

Saturday morning started at 7:00 for me and, miracle of miracles, ALL of the appraisers showed up. Okay - one woman didn't come but her father was in the ICU and we expected her to be with him and not with us. She had an excellent reason and we all hope her father is doing better. Anyway, ALL of the appraisers showed up and, for the first time in the six years I have been doing this, I had more than enough appraisers in each room! It was quite a luxury for everyone involved. More appraisers means that the workload for each one is lower and that the stress levels are lower. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and no one told me to take their name off the list for next year!

The day ended at about 5:00. The last team finished up at about 4:30 and then we had to take everything down - including a LOT of signs and caution tape (used to ensure that people didn't enter our area accidentally which is vital due to the confidentiality of the problems). Also, it was back down the elevator with all the stuff and out to the car. Happily, the boxes (six of them plus a laundry basket full of "extra" supplies just in case, were pretty much empty as the supplies had been used. A much lighter load on the way home! Again, we were able to borrow a dolly and away we went.

Hubby and I got home around 5:45 and fed the two piglets . . . I mean kitties, got the mail, and hauled everything into the house and/or garage. We discovered that my car had gotten biffed by another car in the parking lot (no note, of course!) but it isn't too bad - just one corner of the bumper scraped and smeared with paint. Then - after a phone call from the tournament directors about a team manager who talked about the Instant Challenge her team did - we both fell into bed for a "nap."

My nap lasted until about 7:15 this morning (taking into account the time change which just HAD to be this weekend, didn't it???).

Still feeling the effects of the long day in stiff legs and hurting feet, Hubby and I are both up and planning to head to church. Maybe I can convince him to take me to IHOP on the way home. That would be a nice treat.

Oh - I went off my "resisting sweets" run yesterday but am back on today. I just couldn't make it through the day without a gooey brownie and a few M&Ms!

Trisha

Voice Update: Going strong. It did well yesterday and I think I gave it enough rest throughout the event to keep it from going out on me. I didn't do my massage - too busy - but it is back to business now!

Fractious Friday

Hi All.

I am feeling grumpy. Grouchy. Fractious. Impatient. Irritated. Annoyed. You pick your favorite and we will go from there!

While most people look at Friday as the start of the weekend and the start of a "rest from work," I look at this particular Friday as the beginning of a marathon event for which I never feel prepared.

For as much fun as Destination Imagination is for everyone involved (including me), it can certainly be a pain in the neck (and back and legs) to get ready for. I have most of the supplies I need but still have the odd thing to pick up today. Also, I have about a ream of paperwork to sort through, stick labels on, and put into individual envelopes.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

Add onto that enjoyment the fact that Hubby has a foundation company coming to the house this afternoon to check out what the cost would be to fix our foundation- which the warranty company isn't covering - of course!

At 6:00 I will be at the Destination Imagination tournament site to set up the Instant Challenge area. That involves a lot of moving of desks and tables and putting up signs and walking back and forth and back and forth and back and forth . . . .

Let's just say I am not looking forward to it.

Then tomorrow . .. I will be at the site between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning and will be on my feet all day until about 5:00. My poor feet and aching preemptively! Once home I will fall into a temporary coma as my body tries to recover from everything I have put it through in the past few weeks to prepare for this event. Then the clean up will begin. All of the bits and pieces left over from the tournament will need to be sorted and organized and stored. All of the paperwork leftover will need to be shredded (to maintain confidentiality) or recycled. *sigh*

Oh - I WON'T be blogging tomorrow but I will try to get you an update on Sunday.

Wish me well!

Trisha

Voice Update: Interestingly, Hubby is having a rough week with his voice due to congestion and drainage and all that wonderful stuff. Me, on the other hand, am doing well. My voice is strong and sounding good. I am a bit concerned about tomorrow though - there will be a lot of talking involved. . .

DI Disaster Zone

Hi All!

You wanted a DI update, didn't you? Well, here it is.


This is me nearing the end of my "bagging" for the day. Only one more group of bags to fill! Don't I look thrilled? I gathered material for about 120 teams and divided them into bags and then into 6 different boxes to go to the different rooms on tournament day.

It was pure chaos around me. I even chased poor Hubby off the couch with all of my stuff!

Skor had a blast hiding amongst my bags of supplies. Of course he also had a blast knocking them down and chewing on the pipe cleaners (politically correct name: chenille sticks). He also had a fascination with the foil. No chewing but a lot of pawing and walking on. Somewhere I read that cats don't like the sound or feel of walking on aluminum foil. Well, MY cat seems to enjoy it!

"What are you saying, Daddy? Stay out of Mommy's stuff? Okay. I will."

"Yeah, right. Who does he think he is talking to? I HAVE to get those last three craft sticks out of this box. Maybe putting my entire head inside will work!"

***Note: Skor got his head stuck in many things yesterday. This box, a brown paper bag, and a Wal Mart bag. Fun, fun! You would think he would learn!

Well, that is pretty much done with. Tomorrow I will focus on getting labels on papers and papers in envelopes. That isn't too bad if I can sit on the comfy couch and do it!

Today is classes - I am ready but next week is mid-terms. Is it just me or does everything always happen at once?

Oh - I do have a cohort in crime to help me with stuff for DI. She did all the copying. Bless her heart!

Trisha

Voice Update: Too tired to contemplate talking . . . I might let you know how things are going after a nap!

Veggie Chips and Destination Imagination (Again!)

Hi All!

As I am typing this, Skor is playing with a veggie chip under the desk. I don't know if he is trying to eat it or just licking the sea salt from it. He seems enthralled. Actually, I am enthralled with the veggie chips myself.

The color of the chips got washed out in this shot but here is what veggie chips are. They are dehydrated veggies - carrot, squash, sweet potato, green bean, and taro. These little buggers are crunchy and slightly sweet and sprinkled with sea salt to add another layer of flavor. I am addicted.

My local Kroger store sells these in the produce department and once I got the nerve to actually try them. . . I fell in love. These are healthier than potato chips and also satisfy my sweet tooth now that I am resisting the urge to eat sweets. They are perfect!

Who knew a green bean could be so sweet?

The Destination Imagination tournament is this coming Saturday and that means I am in the thick of preparations. Hubby was sweet enough to lug my boxes of supplies out of the closet and I spent a bit of time going through the boxes getting out what I will need this year. Today I will really get into things as I start portioning out supplies for each team and each room.

Here is my guest room at the present moment courtesy of DI.

Lovely, isn't it? Wouldn't you like to come and spend a night with us? I should mention that the dragon is always in the guest room. He is a hand puppet and is absolutely adorable. He is the companion to my wizard hand puppet who hangs out in the music room. Hmmmm - maybe the dragon needs to relocate!

Next to the windows you can see some of Hubby's golf balls. Anyone want some slightly used golf balls?

DI has also taken over our coffee table (and soon the entire living room!). Do you see the pile of brown envelopes peeking out at the left side of the table? I had to put labels on each of those and then divide them into 6 groups (there are six different rooms teams will be going through and certain teams go to certain rooms). Soon I will be labeling six sheets of paper for each of those envelopes.

On top of the pile is a file box filled with index cards - two for each of the 130 teams - which I had to hand write this year because the powers-that-be didn't deem fit to give me enough pre-printed labels! Now THAT was fun!

At least I have Gilmore Girls re-runs to watch during the drudgery!

Trisha

Voice Update: Still not feeling like talking too much. I DO but I don't feel like it. My voice is good but I am getting really phlemy so that isn't helping matters much. I hope I don't have a cold!

Sunburn, Henry, and Melody

Hi All!

Yesterday was busy and fun - and busy. After my morning routine (actually I slept through my alarm so my morning routine was greatly altered!), I got my act together and had an al fresco luncheon with my friend M and her daughter A.

We went to a wonderful park which had a great playground for A to play on, pavilions, and a pond with fountains. After A played in the playground for a while - that kiddo loves her slides! - we walked back to the pond and ate our packed lunch - chicken salad, fruit, veggie chips, and bread - sitting in an ampitheater looking at the pond. It was a cool day with a slight breeze. Fabulous!

The food was great, the company was better and the chance to just relax and slow down a bit was heavenly.

It wasn't until I was home getting ready for bed at the end of the day that I noticed that I had gotten sunburned! Yikes! Luckily, it isn't bad but it is a clear reminded that sunscreen is essential even in March when the weather is only 50 degrees!

The next time I will remember to take along my camera so I have pictures to post for you! I hope to go back again with M and A.

Right after the picnic lunch, I headed off to the college and to the ASL lab. I have an assignment for fingerspelling class due today and it had to be video taped. The assignment involved writing twenty sentences, each of which contained two numbers, two fingerspelled words, and a FLS (fFngerspelled Loan Sign - a "shortcut" so to speak). Let me tell you - getting all of that into a sentence isn't exactly easy. The last time I had to write twenty sentences it took me FOREVER!

This time I decided to amuze myself and write a little story. My story was about Henry and Melody (the Henry in the story is NOT the Henry that teaches my ASL 3 class. In fact, I didn't even notice that I had used the same name until I was all done recording my sentences!). These two people need help with their taxes and both go to the same accountant where they sit in the waiting room next to each other. It is love, love, love at first sight and the two marry and take a two week honeymoon in Barbados.

It kept me amused. We will see what the teacher thinks!

Trisha

Voice Update: Still doing well. I am still not feeling too eager to actually talk but . . . the voice is kicking bootie!