Another First

The Homecoming dance. It was a big night for the girls. They went to dinner before the dance and we stopped at the park for some pictures. During dinner they texted me to see if we could go to McDonald's. Dessert was "really expensive here". Yes, they did go inside in their dresses and heels. They had a really good time at the dance.I was really proud of the was the girls behaved. They are becoming beautiful young ladies.

Back to School

It's that time again, backpacks, notebooks and tissues (for mom). Lauren started High School this year! School started 2 weeks ago, and so far she seems to be doing really well. We haven't had any drama, no calls from school and she only got lost going to English. Looks like we are off to a good start. This year Lauren is in marching band. She does seem to complain about it a little and she did say she misses her french horn, but I think she likes - just a little.

Caleb is in first grade! The first 2 days he wanted me to walk him into the gym where they wait for to be released to go to their classes. Wednesday he said he just wanted me to walk him to the outside door. on Thursday when we arrived on the campus the school had been evacuated and the police car with sirens was just arriving. One of us was a bit tramatized, but I'm better now. It was an "unscheduled" fire drill, a sensor went out. Whew!

He's loving 1st grade. He did have some concerns about only having 2 recesses but he is adjusting. Caleb's doing a great job with his reading, I worried he might have forgotten some of the sight words he learned in kindergarten have but that doesn't seem to have happened. I think he will have a good year.

The Book Shelf Again

I finished reading Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See this week. I didn't pick my last two books very well, so I wasn't sure I'd like this book either. I was wrong! I picked a winner this time. I really enjoyed this book. Here's what Publishers Weekly says on the Amazon website...

"See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, See adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding, the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women—here between Lily and Snow Flower—that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province. As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well."

When I finished the last page of the book I missed Lily. I think I enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan more than the last two books I read because it's a culture so different from a life I could imagine it grabbed my attention and held on. Lily fought not to be the woman her culture demanded her to be. In different stages of her life she was that ideal and used her position in that ideal role to reach beyond the limits placed on her by her society.

Snow Flower was definitely a "page" turner for me. I've found a new author and a favorite book. Happy Reading!

Book Shelf

This is just my opinion on a couple books I've read lately, review sounds official and like I know what I'm talking about, so I'm not calling it a review. The first book is The Secret Life of Bees, a story of a girl who runs away from home and finds a family. As much as I liked the characters and understood the "divine female power" I didn't feel like I was going to miss anything if I put the book down. It just wasn't a page turner for me.

The second book is Dream When You're Feeling Blue, a WWII era story focusing on a family and the impact the war had on their everyday life. This wasn't suspenseful by any stretch but there were a few developments I didn't see coming. Dream When You're Feeling Blue isn't a book I'd want to read again, but it was enjoyable and entertaining.

Happy Reading!

Say Cheese!

Caleb lost his first tooth!

It has been loose for awhile and we have been waiting (not patiently). Friday, in the van, Lauren told him to pull his tooth forward and down and it would come out. He tried it, and out popped the tooth! He was so excited! He couldn't wait to tell Dad and find out what the Tooth Fairy would bring him.

Monday at school he will finally get to put his name on the "Who Lost a Tooth" tooth.

Birthday Boys

Both my boys had birthdays this month. We started with Caleb's. We took chocolate cupcakes to school for snack and had a family party on Friday (his actual birthday). I let the kids pick what they want for dinner on their special day, this year he picked hot dogs and mac & cheese (the shell kind), we followed that up with chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and ice cream. Grandma D. was here for his party making his day extra special.

On Saturday, we had Caleb's first "friend party". Caleb invited 10 of his friends to play games, make some crafts at his imagination station and have chocolate cake (again) and ice cream . The boys played hard and laughed hard. Most importantly Caleb had a really good time and nobody got hurt.

On Sunday we celebrated Philip's birthday. He turned that number I'm not going to mention, we're the same age and I'm not turning it. We had steak and baked potatoes for his birthday dinner, so glad he didn't pick buffalo wings, followed by pineapple upside down cake and ice cream. Grandma D. aka Phil's mom was able to stay the weekend and be here for his party too.

The "Party Weekend" filled with great memories, time for Phil and mom to catch up and lots of cake.

From the Corner of His Eye

Here is my attempt to do a book review of From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz. I'm not very good at this so I use the term "review" loosely. It was the first Koontz book I've read. His style was described, very accurately, as similar to Stephen King only sunnier.

From an Amazon.com review, a "suspense thriller, which is chock-full of signs, portents, angels, and one somewhat second-rate devil, a murky and under characterized guy named Junior Cain who commits murder and spends the rest of the novel waiting for the retribution that will surely come. But not before a series of tragedies ensues that convince Junior that someone or something named Bartholomew is out to exact vengeance for that crime and the series of other murders that follow."

I liked the characters, except Junior, and how they interacted with each other. I knew enough about the characters to care what happened to them. There were enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes and guessing what was going to happen next. Including a few places I had to reread because I was so caught off guard I needed to make sure I read it correctly. It was a thumbs up for me and I'll be adding more of his books to my TBR list.