Wednesday, July 27, 2011

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!


Thursday, July 7, 2011

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.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

4th of July Flip Flops

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