Life: It Goes On - May 8

We have a graduate! If you know me in real life, you know I'm a crier. So it won't surprise you to know that teared up a bit Friday as we watched Mini-me receive his degree. I was so touched by how excited Miss S was for her guy; they are so cute together! We couldn't be more proud of Mini-me and the man he's become!

This Week I'm:

Listening To: I may have done some extra driving this past week just to finish John Boyne's The Absolutist. Wonderful book and fantastic narration. Tomorrow I'll start The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. That one will help me #readmyowndamnbooks since I've had a print copy on my shelves for a long time.

As for music, I've been listening to the ladies more this week: Adele, Lorde, Sia, Florence, A Fine Frenzy, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Alanis, and Dolores O'Riorda .Me

Watching: We're still watching "Mr. Selfridge" on PBS but I'm starting to grow tired of it; good thing it's on its final season. We've have been enjoying "Grantchester" leading into it, though.

Reading: I started The Bookman's Tale the other day and am enjoying it although I haven't had a lot of time to read this past week and will have even less in the coming week. On my nightstand, I also started The Year of Reading Dangerously.

Making: It's been all about easy this week - tuna salad, pizza, pasta salad. Friday night I just put out a board with a French boule and butter, some divine cheese, and fresh raspberries. My kitchen focus has been entirely on next weekend. This weekend I made Emeril LaGasse's coffee ice cream, cooked up some chocolate syrup and caramel sauce, carved turkey breast, baked & carved a ham, baked two loaves of banana bread and a raspberry coffee cake.

Planning:  Not so much planning the graduation party any more, as implementing the plan. Some more food to prepare, curtains to finish (because why wouldn't I decide Mini-him's room needs new curtains before Miss S's mom stays there?), flowers to buy.

Thinking About: Smash Your Stack hosted by Andi of Estella's Revenge and Melissa of Scuffed Slippers and Wormy Books which is just the kick in the butt I need to read my own damn books in May. Check out the details here.  I had a review book this month, my book club read, and a couple of books I needed to read from Netgalley but I'm still shooting to read at least four of my own books in May.

Enjoying: Other than graduation, I enjoyed an evening on the patio with Miss H, my sister, and my niece the other night. It was our version of therapy filled with time to vent, more than a few drinks, and a lot of laughter. We even let Mini-him and The Big Guy crash the party to add to the fun.

Feeling: Remarkably calm - much more so than I usually am this close to a party. The yard is in order, the groceries are mostly all bought and I have a menu planned for the entire time Miss S's mom is here. I'm sure I'll melt down sometime between now and then and bite someone's head off unnecessarily, because that's how I usually roll, but they're all used to it by now so it'll be fine, right?

Looking forward to: Miss S's graduation, the party, meeting Miss S's mother, and spending the afternoon with my girl, her bestie and bestie's mom at the ball park. We're headed off shortly to watch the K. C. Royals' Triple A team, the Omaha Stormchasers, play ball to celebrate Mother's Day.

Question of the week: What are you looking forward to this summer?