Miss H is winging her way to Boston today for the week with a group of friends. Several months ago her friends decided that she should be in Boston to celebrate her first St. Patrick's Day as a legal drinker. They have plans for so many fun things while they're there, including a tour of Fenway Park. Miss H is a Yankees fan but she can't pass up seeing one of the great ballparks. Can't wait for the Snapchats to start coming in!
I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, weather-wise. We never get out of winter this easily. But the forecast for the next week is showing only rain and warm temps so I think the only thing that will stop the dinners on the patio we've had this week will be rain, not snow.
This Week I'm:
Listening To: Heading into my final week of The Shoemaker's Wife. I'm enjoying the story but at 15 discs long, this one is easily 3 discs too long. Too much unnecessary description, too much repetition.
Watching: Movies: the latest James Bond movie, Spectre; a gem that The Big Guy found starring Ben Kingsley called Learning To Drive; and an independent movie called Trivia Night which we saw at the Omaha Film Festival.
Reading: Trying to finish a book for review for this week (a Maisie Dobbs mystery) and this month's book club choice, The Sandcastle Girls.Making: A killer beef stroganoff - one of my faves that I don't make nearly often enough. Also, did I mention pie? Tried a lattice top for the first time on raspberry pie; lesson learned - make the lattice on the counter and then transfer to the pie. Also, making Ree Drummond's chocolate french silk pie which was a big hit last year when I made it for my dad's birthday.
Planning: The 40 Bags In 40 Days work continues. I'm diving into closets - the coat closet, linen closet, etc. I spent a lot of time sorting papers this week. Every time I do this, I realize how much of it I don't need to keep any more with the internet.
Thinking About: All of the new-to-me books that came into my house this week. A box of six books arrived from Better World Books on Friday. Everything I ordered has been on my list of books I want to read for at least a year. Also, I downloaded West With the Night by Beryl Markham (you'd know her from Paula McLain's Circling The Sun), Notorious RBG, and Behind The Scenes by Elizabeth Keckley (you'd know her form Jennifer Chiavarini's Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.
Feeling: Tired. Stayed up late last night, lost that hour, and then BG accidentally set his alarm clock so that it went off an hour earlier than I had planned to get up. It's going to be an early bedtime for this girl!
Looking forward to: Book club this week.
Question of the week: What's the best movie you've seen lately?
Happy Birthday to your Dad! It sounds like you've been keeping busy and the pies sound awesome. I've been cleaning out stuff for goodwill as well and im doing so found old statements and bills from 6 years ago. I'm pretty sure I don't need to keep those. Lol. As for movies the last one I watched that has sfuck with me was Still Alice. I think I'll probably rewatch it at some point.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day and week Lisa!
Oh, I still need to watch Still Alice!
DeleteEnjoy the new books. I just downloaded Notorious RBG from the library. Started it on my kindle, but you really need color to fully appreciate the graphics. Switched ti my iPad and am much happier! Lots of happiness for you in this post :)
ReplyDeleteAck! So I'm going to wish I had downloaded to the iPad instead of my Nook. Dang!
DeleteI haven't watched any great movies lately but we did watch Daniel Craig's Bond movies - except for Spectre and really enjoyed them. Both pies sound amazing and I love the idea of doing the lattice and then putting it on. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, Spectre was...different. A very un-James Bond ending. Not sure what that meant for the movies.
DeleteI hope your girl has fun in Boston. I love Fenway and Boston - so much fun. So many new books to enjoy. Have a great week Lisa
ReplyDeleteShe had a blast! I thought they'd all get tired of trying to get everyone agreed on what they were doing each day and where they were going but they had so much fun and are already planning a trip together next year to Seattle.
DeleteSpotlight is the best I've seen lately, hands down. Looks like some winners you got from Better World Books! Love that online place. I've gotten many a good book from them! How fun for your daughter to spend St. Patty's in Boston for her first legal drinking!!!! Good luck with those 40 bags!
ReplyDeleteOh, the bags. I keep working away at it but then other things come up and I haven't even really gotten to the places where I'd be able to really cull. It will help once my oldest moves out again and my middle one will soon be living with his gf and they will need some furniture out of my house. Right now I can hardly turn around in my basement let alone have room to pull stuff out and sort.
DeleteHappy birthday to your dad! Sounds like you have plenty of good fun planned. Hope we get to see pictures of those pies. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteI was racing so fast to get those pies made and get out the door to my parents' that I completely forgot to take pictures!
DeleteMy university read Nickel and Dimed as part of their one-book initiative. I have to say, I didn't care for it all that much. Mostly because the author chose to love on a very reduced income but to me, you can't truly recreate poverty when you know in a short while you'll be able to return to your nice home where food is not an issue. I don't know. I just felt that it wasn't all that realistic. I did see a documentary about the working poor right after that book though that was great. It covered women specifically who are just one pay check away from being off the street. One pay check!! They don't have first and last for an apartment and yet they have office jobs and pay taxes and pretty much look like you and I. It was heart wrenching. I can't remember the name of it though. It was shot locally (Santa Monica, Ca.).
ReplyDeleteTrue - a good experiment but you don't get the overwhelming weight of knowing it will never get better. The company I work for offers a lot of insurance to the kinds of people who are the working poor - they know if they don't have the coverage, if something happens to them, there will be no money set aside to cover the bills.
DeleteI hope your dad has a nice birthday! Sounds like you have been enjoying yourself. :-) I haven't seen any movies as of late. I had hoped to talk my daughter into seeing Zootopia, but it didn't work out. I hope you enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteWill Mouse sit still to watch a movie now? I need to borrow a kid to go see Zootopia, it looks like fun!
DeleteBelated best wishes to your Dad. I hope your daughter enjoyed Boston and by now I It looks like you've quite a pile of new books. I've so many that have come through from the library I don't know which one to read first. I managed to get The Piano Teacher and picked up the latest Adriana Trigiani on an impulse (All the Stars in the Heavens) although I find her novels only average. The last movie we watched was on DVD - The Water Diviner. It had mixed reviews, but we both found it informative and moving since it's about Gallipoli. Next DVD we shall watch is Mr Turner - saving that for a bad tv night.
ReplyDeleteI ended up feeling, about the Trigiani I just finished, the same way you do - just average. Nice story, some lovely descriptive places, but nothing that particularly stood out. I'll have to look for The Water Diviner, having just finished The Sandcastles Girls which talked quite a lot about Gallipoli.
Delete