This song has been on repeat on Apple's Latin Pop channel and I find myself dancing along to it every time it's played.
Quentin: 13-14 Months
Likes: Animals of every kind, cars, playing with Arthur, snuggles and tickles, playing catch and chase
Dislikes: Getting his hair washed, nap time, being kept out of the bathroom
Sleeping: Finally on a decent sleeping schedule. He goes to bed at around 8pm and wakes up at around 7am. Every once in a while he wakes before midnight, but goes back down easily. And he's been napping almost daily. Goes down around 1pm and wakes up anywhere from 2:30 to 5pm.
Eating: Starting to see some picky eating, but overall still a great eater. He especially loves pretzels and fruit right now.
Playing: So much playing in this house! Quentin loves getting into all the toys and hard playing with Arthur. His favorites right now are the musical instruments and cars.
Milestones: About a month ago, he started walking. Right on time if comparing him to Arthur. He also mastered the level door handles this week. Not great news for me, but yeah for his development. He also learned how to clap right around his birthday and has started pointing at things he wants.
Out and About: So many outings! I'm so glad that Quentin is a great traveler as we go anywhere and everywhere. His favorite places right now are the library and the park (specifically Seven Seas). He has also enjoyed going to CDM for the first time.
Next up on the TBR Pile:
The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
Title: The Custom of the Country
Author: Edith Wharton
Publisher: 1913
Genre: Classics
Pages: 224
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Classics - Romance; Popsugar - Takes Place Over a Character's Lifetime
Undine Spragg is an exquisitely beautiful but ferociously acquisitive young woman from the Midwest who comes to New York to seek her fortune. She achieves her social ambitions—but only at the highest cost to her family, her admirers, and her several husbands. Wharton lavished on Undine an imaginative energy that suggests she was as fascinated as she was appalled by the alluring monster she had created. It is the complexity of her attitude that makes The Custom of the Country—with its rich social and emotional detail and its headlong narrative power—one of the most fully realized and resonant of her works.
I must say that I was a bit disappointed in this one. I really enjoyed Wharton's The Age of Innocence, but this one felt flat in comparison. Undine is one of the most unlikable characters in literature. No one is rooting for this spoiled brat of a teen in the beginning and no one is rooting for her at the end. I could see Wharton's social commentary, but I just couldn't really get into the characters and storyline to really care.
Next up on the TBR pile:
East of West Volume 7
Title: East of West Volume 7
Author: Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta
Publisher: Image 2017
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 128
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
The final year of the apocalypse begins! Armies rage! Nations at War! A family fights to be reunited. Collects EAST OF WEST #30-34.
I got the next volume of one of my favorite comic series. Things are really coming to a head in this series. I'm guessing that there will be 10 volumes of the comics and things are getting super intense. Loving where this volume took us. So incredibly crazy!
Next up on the TBR pile:
Saga Volume 7
Title: Saga Volume 7
Author: Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples
Publisher: Image 2017
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 152
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
From the worldwide bestselling team of FIONA STAPLES and BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, “The War for Phang” is an epic, self-contained SAGA event! Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat and the refugee experience.
What can I say? I love this comic series so much. Every volume, we are treated to more adventures, more characters, and more crazy. Love it so much! It was nice to focus most of the story on the reunited core family adding in their fellow travelers. I can't wait to see where this story goes next.
Next up on the TBR pile:
How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman
Title: How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Author: Neil Gaiman, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon
Publisher: Dark Horse 2016
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 64
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel
Two teenage boys are in for a tremendous shock when they crash a party where the girls are far more than they appear!
From Neil Gaiman—one of the most celebrated authors of our time—and award-winning artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, this sumptuous graphic novel is not to be missed!
Love Gaiman's super weird stories and this one is just fabulous. As with most of his works, this story start out very normal and of-our-world, but then little things start to catch you attention. Suddenly things are not quite normal. And that's where the fun really starts. This one is so much fun and the art just reinforces all great weirdness. Loved it!
Next up on the TBR pile:
Happy Turkey Day!
We're spending the day with friends eating some good food...
The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen
Title: The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England
Author: Carol Karlsen
Publisher: Norton and Company 1987
Genre: Nonfiction U.S. History
Pages: 370
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd); Mount TBR
Confessing to "familiarity with the devils," Mary Johnson, a servant, was executed by Connecticut officials in 1648. A wealthy Boston widow, Ann Hibbens was hanged in 1656 for casting spells on her neighbors. The case of Ann Cole, who was "taken with very strange Fits," fueled an outbreak of witchcraft accusations in Hartford a generation before the notorious events at Salem.
More than three hundred years later, the question "Why?" still haunts us. Why were these and other women likely witches―vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft and possession? Carol F. Karlsen reveals the social construction of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England and illuminates the larger contours of gender relations in that society.
I'm always up for a good history book. And this one doesn't disappoint. I was fully into Karlsen's examinations of the events that led to and resulted from the Salem Witch Trails. More than merely a recounting, Karlsen dives into the motivations of the colonists in New England and focuses on gender dynamics of the time. This volume is very dense, but a great examination of the time. Diehard history fans will love this volume.
Next up on the TBR pile:
The Coldest City by Antony Johnston
Title: The Coldest City
Author: Antony Johnston
Publisher: Oni Press 2012
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 176
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; New to Me
November 1989. Communism is collapsing, and soon the Berlin Wall will come down with it. But before that happens there is one last bit of cloak & dagger to attend to. Two weeks ago, an undercover MI6 officer was killed in Berlin. He was carrying information from a source in the East - a list that allegedly contains the name of every espionage agent working in Berlin, on all sides. No list was found on his body. Now Lorraine Broughton, an experienced spy with no pre-existing ties to Berlin, has been sent into this powderkeg of social unrest, counter-espionage, defections gone bad and secret assassinations to bring back the list and save the lives of the British agents whose identities reside on it.
J and I were intrigued by the trail for Atomic Blonde and picked it up to watch. But before we did, I wanted to read the graphic novel that the movie was based on. This is a slim volume full of black and white stark images. The reader is treated to a great spy thriller full of twists and turns and who-dun-its. We get to see our main character venture into a Berlin ready to be reunited. I loved following the twisty storyline, eager to find out the real story behind the events. Very much an enjoyable read. Now we get to watch the movie!
Next up on the TBR pile:
Music Monday -- The Killers "Run for Cover"
Love this song! It reminds me the entire Hot Fuss album.
Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen
Title: Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World
Author: Ann Shen
Publisher: Chronicle Books 2016
Genre: Biography
Pages: 222
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd)
Aphra Behn, first female professional writer. Sojourner Truth, activist and abolitionist. Ada Lovelace, first computer programmer. Marie Curie, first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Joan Jett, godmother of punk. The 100 revolutionary women highlighted in this gorgeously illustrated book were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for all who followed. From pirates to artists, warriors, daredevils, scientists, activists, and spies, the accomplishments of these incredible women vary as much as the eras and places in which they effected change. Featuring bold watercolor portraits and illuminating essays by Ann Shen, Bad Girls Throughout History is a distinctive, worthy tribute.
An awesome collection of short biographies of extraordinary women throughout history. I knew the stories of most of the women featured, but it was still a joy to read about their lives. And I even learned about some women I hadn't known before. On top of the great biographies, the beautiful watercolor portraits are a joy to behold.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Life Right Now #33
As I look outside my window: Super dark. This getting dark at 5pm is really wearing on me...
Right now I am: Catching up with Full Frontal. We were way behind.
On my bedside table: Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor; A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell
On my tv this week: Full Frontal; Supernatural S3; Zapped; Grand Design S17
Listening to: Apple Radio's Latin Pop Channel -- Arthur and Q love to dance to it!
On the menu for this week:
- Monday - Ham and Potato Soup
- Tuesday - Apple Cheddar Chicken
- Wednesday - Tilapia
- Thursday - Thanksgiving!!!
- Friday - Leftovers
- Saturday - Chicken Parmesan
- Sunday - Hawaiian Pulled Pork Nachoes
On my to do list: One big task to focus on this week... finish planning and executing Thanksgiving dinner! We're hosting a few friends on Thursday. Everyone is bringing something, but I still need to figure out what holes we have in the menu, buy groceries, and cook.
Happening this week:
- Monday - Playdate at a friend's house
- Tuesday - Errand day
- Wednesday - Home day, Thanksgiving prep
- Thursday - Thanksgiving!
- Friday - Home day, virtual happy hour with my awesome OBMs
- Saturday - Christmas card class
- Sunday - ???
What I am creating: I'm putting the finishing touches on our advent calendar, our Thanksgiving place settings, and December stamp club projects.
My simple pleasures: Being able to breathe. I have a cold right now and my nose is completely stuffed. I miss being able to breathe clearly again.
Looking around the house: Need to list out the areas that need to be cleaned before Thanksgiving.
From the camera: Hello piggy!
A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner
Title: A Bride Across the Ocean
Author: Susan Meissner
Publisher: Berkley 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 363
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Set in a Hotel; New to Me
February, 1946. World War Two is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors has only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Résistance spy.
Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Their new lives in the United States brightly beckon until their tightly-held secrets are laid bare in their shared stateroom. When the voyage ends at New York Harbor, only one of them will disembark...
Present day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides—and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings.
I randomly picked this up at the library after hearing about it on What Should I Read Next?, Anne Bogel's podcast. And I'm so glad I did. The premise sounded intriguing and it's a different kind of WW2 novel than I have read. I immediately fell in love with all of the historical character. Annaliese, Phoebe, and Simone were great. I loved learning more and more about their stories and speculating on where they ended up. I loved the mystery of "she" aboard the Queen Mary. The transitions between time periods and characters were well done. I never felt ripped out of the storylines. I ended up speeding through this one because it was so good. Definitely a fan. Must check out more of Meissner's works.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
- J found me a new macbook for a really good price. Excited, but now I have transfer everything over from my old macbook. So much to do...
- I thought I escaped getting the cold everyone else in the house did, but i was wrong. I feel crappy.
- Tea is my best friend right now.
- We've officially lost a library book. Our system allows you to replace the item yourself or pay them to do it. I opted for replacing as the price on Amazon was $5 less than what the library would have charged me. Making a bad situation just a bit better.
- The server has been very very slow for the past two days. Making watching anything difficult with all the pausing.
- I really want to make pot roast for tonight, but that means I need to get off the couch and cut up the veggies and sear the meat. Must get moving...
Next up on the TBR pile:
In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell
Title: In a Witch's Wardrobe (Witchcraft Mystery #4)
Author: Juliet Blackwell
Publisher: Berkley 2012
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 337
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Mount TBR
Taking a night off from running her successful San Francisco clothing store, Lily attends a local art deco ball where vintage fashions steal the show. But when a young woman at the event falls under a mysterious sleeping sickness, Lily senses that a curse was placed on the woman’s corsage.
Before Lily can solve the woman’s magical ailment, she’s asked to assist in investigating a string of poisonings in the Bay Area witchcraft community. She’s gained the trust of the local covens by supporting women’s charities through her clothing store. But soon, Lily suspects that one of her new acquaintances might not be so well intentioned and could be dabbling in dark magic and deadly botany…
I feel like this series is finally hitting it's stride. I love the storyline revolving around the Art Deco Ball, the Paramount Theater, and other great places around the Bay. I loved meeting some new and interesting characters, especially Calypso. I loved the development of Lily and Sailor's relationship. I loved seeing more from all the great side characters like Bronwyn and Maya. And Oscar is just a treat. I really really love where the series is taking Lily's story. I can't wait to start the next one in the series.
Witchcraft Mystery
- #1 Secondhand Spirits
- #2 A Cast Off Coven
- #3 Hexes and Hemlines
- #4 In a Witch's Wardrobe
- #5 Tarnished and Torn
- #6 A Vision in Velvet
- #6.5 A Haunting is Brewing
- #7 Spellcasting in Silk
- #8 A Toxic Trousseau
- #9 A Magical Match
Next up on the TBR pile:
52 Weeks of Arthur 2017: W37-45
Life Right Now #32
As I look outside my window: It's super dark out. Bed time almost...
Right now I am: Watching Star Trek: Discovery. There are moments that I really enjoy, but then others are just argh.
Thinking and pondering: What to put on my December TBR and movies list? Trying to start packing for Christmas trip to Indiana...
On my bedside table: Bonk by Mary Roach; Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell
On my tv this week: Star Trek: Discovery; Stranger Things S2
Listening to: Lots and lots of podcasts from this week. I listened to The Simple Show, Pod Save America, It's Been a Minute, Up First, and NPR Politics.
On the menu for this week:
- Monday - Monterey Chicken
- Tuesday - Leftovers
- Wednesday - Pot Roast
- Thursday - Spaghetti
- Friday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachoes
- Saturday - Balsamic Pork Roast
- Sunday - Ham and Potato Soup
On my to do list: So many craft projects, so little time. I need to prioritize some of the projects. Also, I need to take care of some house chores and start to do a big destash of the house and specifically the craft room.
Happening this week:
- Monday - Home day
- Tuesday - Oakland Zoo
- Wednesday - Errand day: Target, Safeway, Sprouts
- Thursday - Thanksgiving Recipe Exchange
- Friday - ???
- Saturday - ???
- Sunday - Crop Day
What I am creating: Working on some random craft projects. Right now I'm trying to finish Christmas cards and some leftover card kits.
My simple pleasures: Hot tea, good books, comfy bed, rainy nights
Looking around the house: I need to get started on a big house destash. There's just too much clutter around right now. I think I should start in the boys' room.
From the camera: Argh! I haven't updated my photos for the entire week. Need to get on that.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Omega Days by John Campbell
Title: Omega Days
Author: John Campbell
Publisher: Berkley 2013
Genre: Horror
Pages: 360
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: New to Me
San Francisco, California. Father Xavier Church has spent his life ministering to unfortunate souls, but he has never witnessed horror like this. After he forsakes his vows in the most heartrending of ways, he watches helplessly as a zombie nun takes a bite out of a fellow priest’s face…
University of California, Berkeley. Skye Dennison is moving into her college dorm for the first time, simultaneously excited to be leaving the nest and terrified to be on her own. When her mother and father are eaten alive in front of her, she realizes the terror has just begun…
Alameda, California. Angie West made millions off her family’s reality gun show on the History Channel. But after she is cornered by the swarming undead, her knowledge of heavy artillery is called into play like never before…
I had checked this out a few months back, but ran out of time to read it and had to return it to the library. For Halloween, the librarians put up a special display and it was just sitting there calling my name. So I grabbed it, sat down and read this in two days. Campbell pushes you right into the madness and doesn't stop until the last page. And even then there's a cliffhanger... I thoroughly enjoyed this zombie book. It won't land on my Top 10 list for the year, but I am defiitely going to keep reading this series.
Omega Days:
- #1 Omega Days
- #2 Ship of the Dead
- #3 Drifters
- #4 Crossbones
Next up on the TBR pile:
Videos for a New Month
Overall we really enjoyed Spiderman: Homecoming.
She is amazing.
These kids are adorable...
Love this mash-up!!!
Intrigued...
Next up on the TBR pile:
Fall Bucket List Update #2
Alright, I'm getting on board with the seasonal bucket lists. As autumn begins on September 22nd, I thought it would be a great starting line. I know that fall lasts until the winter solstice, but as soon as December 1st hits, I'm all about Christmas. So I'm going to run my fall bucket list until November 30th. I've thought about the things that scream fall to me and created my list.
My current completion 15/35 42.9%
- Enjoy a PSL -- Always have to indulge a few times.
- Go to a pumpkin patch -- Took Arthur to a small one with tons of bounce houses
- Buy some proper cider -- I bought some cider at Target. Unfortunately, I bought spiced cider and it's a little too orange-y for my tastes. I'll have to pick up some more at another store.
- Bake pumpkin bread -- One loaf down, I imagine I will make a few more before Christmas.
- Make stuffed acorn squash -- Always love this recipe, but can only make it in the fall when the acorn squash is ripe.
- Carve a pumpkin
- Make a fall craft with Arthur
- Read some scary books -- I participated in Seasons of Reading's FrightFall Readathon. I've read:
- 8.4 by Peter Hernon (earthquake thriller)
- Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell (supernatural cozy mystery)
- The Mummy by Anne Rice (classic horror)
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (classic horror)
- Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (crappy supernatural YA)
- Haunted Castles by Ray Russell (collection of ghost stories)
- The Gates by John Connolly (comedic horror)
- A Cast Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell (supernatural cozy mystery)
- Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell (supernatural cozy mystery)
- Pick up some fall themed tea -- I grabbed some Caramel Apple Spice at the store!
- Take pictures of the changing leaf colors
- Make chili and cornbread -- It will be back on the meal plan soon.
- Find two new fall soup recipes
- Watch Shaun of the Dead for Halloween
- Visit a corn maze
- Bake fall cookies -- I made some Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, but they weren't the best.
- Make leaf art
- Pick up some fall nail polish (and actually do my nails!)
- Go apple picking
- Bake an apple pie
- Make mulled wine
- Plan and cook Thanksgiving
- Read Kids Books
- Fall
- The Autumn Equinox by Ellen Jackson
- My Leaf Book by Monica Wellington
- WonderFall by Michael Hall
- Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
- Fall by Kay Barnham
- An Apple's Life by Nancy Dickman
- Autumn by Stephanie Hedlund
- Leaves Fall Down by Lisa Bullard
- Kitten's Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes
- The Autumn Leaf by Carl Emerson
- Who Loves the Fall? by Bob Raczka
- Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins
- Little Elliot Fall Friends by Mike Curato
- Counting on Fall by Lizann Flatt
- Halloween
- Countdown to Halloween by Patricia Reeder Eubank
- Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin
- Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson
- Dog and Bear Tricks and Treats by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
- How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor
- Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage
- Thanksgiving
- Gobble, Gobble, Tucker by Leslie McGuirk
- Fall
- Decorate the front porch
- Buy some pumpkin ale -- I grabbed Leinenkugel's Autumn Shandy. Decent, but I will have to find something else.
- Go on a hayride
- Celebrate Halloween with costumes and trick-or-treating -- We made it around the entire top of the hill.
- Pick up a fall candle -- I grabbed a yummy smelling Orchard candle from Glade. It reminds me of pumpkin and bonfires.
- Read a cozy mystery -- I finished Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell this week. I loved it! Will have to pick up the next book in the series.
- Make a scarecrow
- Make homemade sauerkraut
- Toast pumpkin seeds
- Have a Monster Mash dance party
- Create Halloween and Thanksgiving cocktails
- Watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
- Have a Resident Evil marathon
Next up on the TBR pile: