Wordless Wednesday: Color Mania 5K Houston August 10, 2013

Image Source: Mac Lamar

Image Source: Mac Lamar

Image Source: Bohemian Life Photography

Image Source: Bohemian Life Photography

Two Things Tuesday

1. Special people. 

Today is my husband's birthday. I plan on taking him to a movie. I'm not sure what else he would like to do but I want to make sure he has a good day just like he did for me. 

Joy, a big virtual hug to you! 

2. Busy Weekend! 

Friday was a pretty busy day. I went through my husband's grandmother's garage for glassware. Especially Pyrex and Fire King - which I found out is just as collectable. I was able to find some interesting things! I will post pictures of those later. 

Then, my mom went with me to some more flea markets and helped me find a huge amount of Pyrex. She spotted everything before I did. I think we will be making this a new tradition. She said she liked going and finding with me. 

Here is what we found!

Another rectangular refrigerator dish with lid. The bowl was a very cheap find at Goodwill for 99 cents! And the divided dish? Wow! I limited myself to the pattern I have, Crazy Daisy. It was difficult to hold myself back. So much Pyrex! So much want! 

After lunch with Mom, I left for Houston with my girlfriends. We stayed the night in Houston because we participated in the Color Mania 5k on Saturday. 

Sunday was family lunch day at my sweet Aunt Wanda's. I adore and cherish this new tradition. It is a weekly meal but I am only able to go when we are in town. There is always yummy food!

Currently Reading (another book already): Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Amy and Rogers's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

I thoroughly enjoyed my first Matson read that I quickly obtained other books. This one, also a surprise summer read. The plot takes place just as summer begins and has the characters winding through America via a classic road trip. I'm jealous. I have never taken a road trip. Well, unless you count from Texas to North Carolina to a church youth 'camp' in 1994 - there were no stops along the way and the drive was awful.

Back to the book.

"Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself." - Via the synopsis on Good Reads.

My two cents so far...

There seems to be mentioned a perky, more upbeat Amy! that we have yet to meet. Kindle says I'm 32% of the way it. I doubt I will meet this Amy! character.

Mom planned the trip. Amy! would have followed the plans. Amy is channeling her more rebellious brother by not following the designated route.

I like that there are music mixes thrown in. I could join Amy and Roger on their journey, not only via pages of a book but also by song!

There was a quick passage that I wanted to quote that reminded me of another book but I couldn't find it. Oh well, the story continues.

Throw Back Thursday: Pyrex

About 10 years ago, my parents had some pretty cool neighbors. They all hung out together and I may have babysat for them once. One day, they came into financial trouble and had to move back home closer to family. Ryan and I moved in together just before getting married when this happened to Roger and Bev. They put everything out on their lawn for a yard sale but told me I could have anything I wanted. 

Photo source: Etsy

I picked up this exact set of Crazy Daisy Pyrex Cinderella mixing bowls. The smallest bowl in this set got broken a few years ago.

I was never really aware just how popular and awesome Pyrex is until recently. I mean, look at this cute collection!

Photo credit: Lark&Lola, through Flickr, through Pinterest

Any time we go to thrift stores or flea markets (which is kind of rare) I now look for Pyrex. Guess what we did today? We went to a flea market. I found a couple of antiques that would be cool to have, like Fenton milk glass. I went through the whole place looking for something bright yellow to put in the half-bath downstairs. I got to the last room in the very back and I found Pyrex!

A 1.5 cup and 1.5 pint refrigerator dishes with lids! And they match my mixing bowls! These were my first flea market Pyrex finds. I have found similar companies (Fire King) and they did have some plain Pyrex mixing bowls in yellow and aqua blue but I just couldn't buy them. But once I saw the refrigerator dishes, I snagged them right up! I'm starting my collection!

Fire King certainly is cute but I don't know much about the company. Worth looking into though!

Wordless Wednesday: An Hour at the Beach

Wordless Wednesday Link Roundup

Currently Reading: Moonglass

I am currently reading Moonglass by Jessi Kirby.

"I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love--a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.

While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing--not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death--stays buried forever."

I decided to read this book because it was advertised in the back of the book that I just read, Second Chance Summer. I am reading it on my kindle so I'm not sure if it is the digitized version of to book or if the actual book looks like this... The dialog is written in paragraphs. I get so confused who is speaking. In the written English language, you break lines between each person's dialog. This is driving me bonkers! Other 'grammar' mistakes are definitely the work of the digital format. I can get over that.

The story, so far, is well written. I can get behind the character and I am already sucked deeply in the world of beach life. I had no idea this would be a summer-to-end-of-summer novel. Imagine my surprise because my summer is starting to wind down. There is also a theme of beach glass showing up in the story. The main character is a collector, her mom was a collector, a recently introduced character is a collector, and I am a collector. 

A true review forthcoming.

Two Things Tuesday 8/6

1. I got my hair cut today. I wish my hair was thick so that I can wear it long. But that isn't the case. My hair is thin and i realize it should be kept shorter. Out of necessity, I keep it just short enough to still be able to pull it up into a ponytail. Last year, I had the same person cut my hair the exact same way. I was able to wear it very wavy. It was totally cute.

Before and after. 

2. Yesterday we took Ivy to the Downtown Aquarium in Houston. She had a lot of fun, even though it was pretty steamy outside. 

She really was in a great mood here - just hot and tired. 

A Stupid Story About a Dang Brush

We are on vacation visiting family again for the next two weeks. Hopefully there will be nothing to extend our vacation another week. We will be returning to the world of work. Yikes. I am so not ready for that! I just got myself depressed. In lieu of a menu plan because we don't really plan on cooking, I'm giving you a ridiculous story. Hey, at least I mention food?

I was probably seven - I know this because we were living in the "white house" (appropriately named because the house was *I shudder* white) across from my elementary school. I was given a blue or purple or dark magenta Dollar Store basket and there was a brush and comb in it.

That is my first memory of The Brush. It was one of those awesome items that you earned from the cereal boxes in the 80s. You know, you bought so many boxes of said cereal, sent in UPC codes, and the order form and you got awesome stuff in the mail! This was a set from Rice Crispies. Snap, Crackle, and Pop were on the handles of both the comb and The Brush.

 Those crazy characters were always up to no good, making sure my cereal made noises and spoke to me. Oh the horror!

The 80s was when it was happening! You could get a lot of awesome things in the mail because you ate cereal religiously. Bowls, toys, cups, spoons, brushes. And the prizes in the boxes themselves were pretty cool too! Christmas ornaments, miniature dolls, plastic spoons, just to name a few that I remember .

I also had an equally awesome Dig'em The Frog cereal spoon. I wish I still had that spoon. Just sayin'.

Through the years, the screen printed characters wore off of the set and the comb was lost. I held on to The Brush though. It is the perfect shape. The black bristles stand at the perfect angle and the perfect curve for my scalp and are not too sharp nor are they too dull. When I brush my hair, the bristles massage and scratch my head to the point of pleasurable chills. It smooths my fine, and oddly wiry, straight hair to the perfect sheen. Oh yes, The Brush also helps my hair to shine. The white grip is a simple pinch for your index finger and thumb and weighs as it should. It is not a heavy brush, nor is it one of those airy brushes with holes between the bristles. There is no ergonomic, rubber grip handle. It is simply the perfect, sturdy, brush.

Horribly, I know the date so well. The date I last used it, and the date it went missing. June 6th, I used The Brush in the morning, as per my usual routine. I set it aside, not packing it for our upcoming vacation to visit family the following day. I planned to use it the next morning because you don't want to mess with a girl and her routine.

The morning of June 7th, we were finishing packing and getting ready to go. I went to start my routine and noticed an absence of white. I tore a lot of things apart trying to find The Brush. I looked in the bags, I looked on my dresser and vanity. I looked in the closet and living room. I looked in Ivy's room and relentlessly questioned her. I knew she picked it up and played with it and put it somewhere, which is a normal thing for her but she denied knowing where The Brush was and that she hadn't played with it.

After being scolded for worrying "over a brush", we finished packing and left for our vacation. I spent every day just throwing my hair into haphazard ponytails, topknots and buns. I looked frazzled. I just could not smooth my hair perfectly. I am a tragic blend of type-a personality with a twist of subtle OCD and a healthy dose of perfectionism.

Three weeks of vacation without The Brush was aggravating! I have tried several times to substitute The Brush so I could have a spare for just in case, but nothing has ever replicated it. New brushes with similar black plastic bristles are too stiff and are pointed at odd angles and don't curve against my head. The bristles are also too new and sharp and hurt my scalp. Expensive, natural, boar bristle brushes are too soft to penetrate my thin hair to drag so hypnotically across my scalp - they are just too soft! Paddle brushes and round brushes are great of detangling my hair, however are not suitable for finishing and smoothing my hair as they tend to separate my hair into clusters and cannot "grab" my hair to pull it into the slick, smooth finish that I agonize over on a somewhat daily basis. I have only lost The Brush once before. I went to visit family for an event and ended up leaving it behind. My mother-in-law promptly shipped The Brush back to me.

Once we returned home from our vacation, it was time to start packing everything for the move into our house. One room at a time, one box, one bag at a time and The Brush never showed up. One day, I was packing up our bedroom closet. All the clothes that were hanging had been brought to the house and we were working on the items on the closet floor. I moved our fire safe box and there it was! The Brush was wedged between the wall and the fire safe. I just wonder how it got there, IVY.

Don't ever come between a girl and her oldest, most trusted beauty tool.

________________

For some actual Menu Plan Monday menus, head on over to OrgJunkie.com!

Week in Review

I never can get it straight. What days am I including in my WIR posts? For some reason, I know to write it on Friday. But is it Thursday through Friday? Or what? I don't know. I guess this is something I need to make an effort to solidify.

This week was a work related conference. I am really disappointed this year. There were very few relevant topics for me. It mostly focuses on the high school level. And there were only two sessions I felt pulled to attend because they were technology related. Apparently, I am more advanced than I thought because I learned nothing new. I even taught some of the other attendees a few things. I found myself bored and leaving earlier than I had intended. 

(37stories up)

This whole week without Ivy around did not make us more productive. I was at the conference. We planned on staying home until Saturday, but Ryan decided he wanted to leave today. No complaints here! We are currently on our second family visit vacation of the summer. 

It was amazing surprising her! She didn't know to expect us and when she saw us, she ran and jumped into our arms. I sure have missed her! 

Conference Post

I am currently in a session learning about blogging. I think I know more here than anyone else. A rerun of yesterday.

I am really not feeling this conference this year. I am still really tired. There just aren't very many sessions that I am interested in. That is all for today. 

Wordless Wednesday

Two Things Tuesday: Summer Conference

1. I am attending a conference in downtown Dallas for work this week. It is specific to my subject area. I feel like a 12 year old next to everyone. The few people that are closer to my age are (usually) dolled up. The older ladies tend to go with what they've been doing "all these years". I cannot find it in myself to really care what I look like. Although I should put a little effort in. This is professional development. Key word 'professional'. 

2. Ivy is spending this week with family. I already miss her. She has been super snuggly lately and those sweet hugs, kisses and little pats on the arm/back/leg are amazing. I am also not fooling myself. It's nice to have a little break from the whining, tantrums, and her not minding us. We will join back up in a week.

Menu Plan Monday week of July 28

I  am attending a conference this week. This MPM is "meh". Not only are we not really following it, we totally aren't following it! I'm sure we will be moving things around to fit it into our moods this week. Since I have the conference and our baby is out of town, we are chill this week. But at the very least there is a plan.

Find more (and probably better) menus at OrgJunkie!

Book Review: Second Chance Summer by M. Matson

When I picked up this book, the book fair at the school was having a half-price everything sale. I saw the word 'summer' and thought it would be a obvious choice for a, duh, summer read.

Basics: Main character runs from situations that scare her - her childhood fling, dealing with family members, a falling out with her best friend. She has to build her relationships back up and manage her feelings about her father's terminal illness. 

Didn't like: The middle chapters were flashbacks every other chapter. This is enough to drive me bonkers. I understand why authors do this. At least the flashbacks were labeled. But still, it can get confusing and frustrating. Something else... I don't know it it was intentional, but some of the grammar seemed off to me, like it didn't roll comfortably. I kept wondering if the editor missed some errors.

However, the story was very well thought out. The book itself gave a nod to Dickens, it was the best, it was the worst. It was a bittersweet story. I could believe this story as real. I highly recommend this book if you like summer themes and tear-jerkers.