My Parents

I also took some shots of my parents the same day I took my Sis's photos with Oliver. Here are my favorites.

Sis and Oliver

School has started again so I'm behind with blogging. My sister got a puppy about 6 weeks ago now. Oliver is the most lovable puppy I've ever met. He's a sweet Australian Shephard. My sis asked if I'd take a few shots of her and Oliver. We went by Lake Michigan and got quite a few nice shots. Here are some of my favorites.

Catching Fire- Hunger Games Series

I just finished Catching Fire this afternoon while I was getting my "back to school" pedicure. Again, I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars. The story continues following Katniss and Peeta. I have to say I want Katniss to give up on Gale and go for Peeta! I was a little surprised by this book. I wasn't expecting some of the events and the ending was a total cliffhanger! I have never read a series in its entirety at once. I typically need to take a little break and sneak in another book. I was thankful I had already downloaded the next book onto my Nook so I could start it immediately! Here's the B&N synopsis.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.  

New Hat for Miss A

I made this hat for my daughter for this fall and winter. The hat was made out of Berroco Flicker yarn. It's baby alpaca and is irresistibly soft! There are silver sparkles throughout the yarn, but you can't tell from this picture. I decided to do some basic hats and make several different color flowers and attach them to an alligator clip so the hat can go with any coat she may have. I hated having so many hats to go with different coats last year. Much easier to change a flower. I'm also planning to make the same hat in cream for her. Although it was 81 degrees today she modeled well for me!

Jayda- 2 1/2 months

These are some photos I took of another friends' daughter. I was loving her little leg warmers!

Sadie- 4 1/2 Months

Some photos of a friends daughter. She's so smiley and has grown so fast!

The Hunger Games

The last two books I have read have been outstanding! I've been hearing things about The Hunger Games for awhile, but just never brought myself to read it. At the end of the school year the high school girl that helps in my classroom carried it into the room and set it down and went to work. Since I was on a prep I asked her about it. I knew I had to read the book when she told me she doesn't typically like to read but she loved the book. I totally agree with her! The writing was excellent and left me with vivid pictures of what the characters and District 12 would look and feel like. The arena came to life during the actual Hunger Games with the writing style. I also enjoyed the way the characters and relationships evolved during the story. I finished the book last night and immediately downloaded the next book, Catching Fire, and started it. Like usual, I will only post the B&N synopsis so I don't give too much away. This is the second book in a matter of weeks that receives all 5 stars!

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games.



Dora blanket

My daughter absolutely loves Dora and Boots, so I picked up some fleece yesterday and made her a tie blanket. It was my first one and it sure was easy. The worst part was making sure the pieces were the same size and lined up. I used a yard and a half of each fleece.

I made the blanket after the little munchkin went to bed last night. Can you tell she loved it when I gave it to her this morning?

She was happy to "lay down with Dora and Boots!"

The Help

I just finished The Help a few minutes ago and it's by far one of the best books I've read in a long time! Rarely do I give a book 5 out of 5 stars, but The Help gets them. Just a couple weeks ago I posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone had read the book and if it would be worthwile to download to my Nook. At the beginning of the book it took awhile to get used to the jumping between characters and reading some of the Southern dialect, but I quickly got used to it. I loved the way some of the relationships blossomed in the book. I don't think I've ever read a book in which I hated a character as much as I hate Miss Hilly. I wish someone would have stood up to her. So I don't ruin anything for those of you who have not read the book yet, I will just paste the synopsis from B&N.

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Call Me Crazy...

Some of you already know I am a kindergarten teacher and mother of an active, lovable 20 month old daughter. One day in May, toward the end of the school year some of my teacher friends and I started talking about taking some classes over the summer. "Some" classes turned into 4 classes for 12 credits! Well, last night I finished those 12 credits! I'm pretty excited that I finished 12 credits in 7 weeks. I had 19 days to spare too! Now, I actually am going to get back to the things I've wanted to do this summer...applique some new shirts for my daughter, make some more hair accessories for her, read books for pleasure rather than class, shoot and edit some photos, and scrapbook! I am running off to start the T-shirts!!

Help Me Choose My Next Book

I am almost finished with my current book. Here are my three choices for the next book to read. Please help me decide!

Finally Finished!

I finally finished Onward a couple days ago. The book was good, but not completely up my alley I guess. I originally picked it up because I love Starbucks and the atmosphere of the stores. It was interesting to read about how some products (specifically VIA) evolved and how some products were introduced to try to boost business when Starbucks was going through its hard patch. I remember many of the products that lasted only a short time and remember some of the special offers in an effort to increase sales. It was strange to think that many of the things I remember were brought about to try to save to company. I think the book would have been a bit more intereting if my career were in the business world, some of the jargon just didn't excite this kindergarten teacher! Overall I would give the book 3 out of 5 stars. If I was not a fan of Starbucks I think the book would only have gotten 2 stars.

4th of July Flip Flops

I made a pair of these flip flips for my mom, sister and I for the 4th.

12 Week Miss S

Here are some photos I took of a friend's daughter yesterday afternoon.