June 2017 Wrap-up

June's TBR Pile (8/12):

1. MVPA Book Club Selection: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah √
2. Series Pick: Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 2 by Danielle Paige √
3. Nonfiction Pick: ???
4. Read Your Book Shelf Pick: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
5. Discworld Pick: The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
6. Romance Pick: Secrets of the Heart by Candace Camp √
7. Carry over: The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
8. Short Stories: Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 3 by Danielle Paige √
9. Added: Roman Holiday by Jodi Taylor √
10. Added: Wonder Woman The True Amazon by Jill Thompson √
11. Added: Zombies A Brief History of Decay by Olivier Peru √
12. Added: A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor √

Picture Book Roundup:

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 2034 pages
Pages Remaining: 719,017 pages

Current Read - The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books bought/received (0)

July's TBR Pile:

1. MVPA Book Club Selection: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
2. Series Pick: The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige
3. Nonfiction Pick: 50 Great American Places
4. Read Your Book Shelf Pick: The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Fleming
5. Discworld Pick: The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
6. Romance Pick: ????
7. Carry over: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Movies watched

• The Man in the White Suit -- 1951 thriller starring Alec Guiness
• Destination Moon -- One of the Top 100 SciFi movies. I wanted a space movie and picked this one to watch. Robert Heinlein was a consultant on the film. Fairly realistic space movie for the 1950s.
• The Creature from the Black Lagoon -- Been years since I watched this. Definitely one of the better monster movies even with all the cheese.
• John Wick 2 -- Definitely not the level of the first one, but I still really enjoyed it.
• Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels -- Introduced this one to the twins. They loved it.
• Seven Samurai -- Introduced this masterpiece to the twins. They were bored initially, but really got into the second half.
• The Birds -- Introduced the twins to Hitchcock, starting with my favorite!
• Snatch -- Finished out the "sequel" to Lock, Stock. The boys enjoyed it more than Lock Stock.

TV Shows watched

• Supernatural S1 -- J and I are slowly plugging away at this one.
• Last Week Tonight
• The Bachelorette -- Finally on track wth watching and listening to my podcast (Here to Make Friends). I'm in agreement with the podcast ladies that the last four will be Peter, Dean, Bryan, and Eric. I'm pulling for Peter but I have a feeling that Bryan wins.
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -- Started this mini series while J was gone one night. Read the book a few months back and have been meaning to watch. Episode 1 was really good.

Comments - Decent reading and media viewing this month. I didn't read quite as many pages as i would have liked, but I did knock off some good books from my TBR pile. And I finished my book club book with almost a week to spare!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer 2017 Reading Update #1

4/22 Books Completed (18.2%)

Let's check in and see how I've done so far... I've made a short list of the books I want to tackle this summer:

1. Rest of Dorothy Must Die series by Danielle Paige:
   1. Stories Vol. 2 √
   2. Stories Vol. 3 √
   3. The Wicked Will Rise (in progress)
   4. Yellow Brick War
   5. The End of Oz
2. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare (loaned from a friend):
   1. The Clockwork Angel
   2. Clockwork Prince
   3. Clockwork Princess
3. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
4. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
5. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
6. Secrets of the Heart by Candace Camp √
7. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah √
8. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield
9. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
10. The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
11. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
12. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
13. Simply series by Mary Balogh
    1. Simply Unforgettable
    2. Simply Love
    3. Simply Magic
    4. Simply Perfect

Along with my original 22 selections, I also added a few random books along the way:

1. Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson √
2. Zombies: A Brief History of Decay by Olivier Peru √
3. A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor √

Music Tuesday -- Sia "To Be Human"

Next up on the TBR pile:

Quentin: 39 Weeks / 9 Months

Crazy weekend and a crazy Monday meant I just didn't get around to this post. Instead, here's a pic from this morning. Happy 9 Months Quentin!

Next up on the TBR Pile:

Life Right Now #18

As I look outside my window: Watching the sun go down reflected off of the hills.

Right now I am: Having a bit of piece and quiet after the littles ones have gone to sleep. SO nice to get a little time to myself.

On my bedside table: The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige; Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

On my tv this week: Not much really. I caught up with The Bachelorette and watched a few episodes of Reign. J and I watched a few episodes of Supernatural S1. Not much else at all.

Listening to: My usual podcasts of One Bad Mother, NPR Politics, and NPR Up First. 

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Monterrey Chicken
• Tuesday - Balsamic Pork Roast
• Wednesday - Broccoli Beef
• Thursday - Texas Cheese Fries
• Friday - Kielbasa Skillet
• Saturday - Grilled Sandwiches
• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: I still need to finish my blog fix. I took a break for a few weeks but now I'm back at it. There are lots of other little things, but the blog fix is the big thing.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Great America; Crafty Meetup
• Tuesday - Library and Grocery visit
• Wednesday - South Bay Day (Seven Seas, Sunnyvale Golfland, Chick-fil-a, Rocket Fizz)
• Thursday - San Francisco Day (Musee Mechanique, Wharf, ???)
• Friday - Home day
• Saturday - Possibly Rosicrucian Museum
• Sunday - ???

What I am creating: I finally got back into crafting and finished off my May Memory Planner pages. Next up is finished my April Project Life pages.

My simple pleasures: A bit of quiet after the babies go to bed, a firm pillow, some pool time

Looking around the house: I really need to vacuum and clean the playroom. It's getting a bit ridiculous.

From the camera: Someone learned how to climb. We're in trouble! Time to put up the start gate.

Next up on the TBR Pile:

A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor

Title: A Trail Through Time (The Chronicles of St. Mary’s #4) 

Author: Jodi Taylor

Publisher: Accent Press 2015

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 404

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR

St Mary's is back and is facing a battle to survive in this, the fourth installment of the Chronicles. Max and Leon are re-united and looking forward to a peaceful lifetime together. But, sadly, they don't even make it to lunchtime. The action races from 17th century London to Ancient Egypt and from Pompeii to 14th century Southwark as they're pursued up and down the timeline, playing a perilous game of hide and seek until they're finally forced to take refuge at St Mary's - where new dangers await them. As usual, there are plenty of moments of humor, but the final, desperate, Battle of St Mary's is in grim earnest. Overwhelmed and outnumbered and with the building crashing down around them, how can St Mary's possibly survive? So, make sure the tea's good and strong...

OH this was such a good volume int he series. I was unsure of where Taylor was going to go after the events of Book 3. Thankfully she found a way to stay true to the series but continue the adventure. I loved meeting all the characters once again. I enjoyed the side trips to the Frost Fair and Egypt and especially Pompeii. Max is such a great character, I'm glad we get yet another adventure starring her. This volume made me love the Director and Peterson even more. Such a great series!

The Chronicles of St. Mary’s:

• #0.5 The Very First Damned Thing
• #1 Just One Damned Thing After Another
• #2 A Symphony of Echoes
• #2.5 When A Child is Born
• #3 A Second Chance
• #3.5 Roman Holiday
• #4 A Trail Through Time
• #4.5 Christmas Present
• #5 No Time Like the Past
• #6 What Could Possibly Go Wrong
• #6.5 Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings
• #7 Lies, Damned Lies, and History
• #7.5 The Great St. Mary’s Day Out
• #7.6 My Name is Markham
• #8 And the Rest is History

Next up on the TBR pile:

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Title: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Author: Trevor Noah

Publisher: Spiegel and Grau 2016

Genre: Nonfiction Memoir

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (Nonfiction Adventure); Popsugar - Book by a person of color 

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

Such a powerful collection of stories. Noah has an amazing ability to tell a funny story and embed a serious conversation about a hard topic right there in the middle. His stories read a lot like Jenny Larson's from Let's Pretend This Never Happened. Her stories aren't about growing up under and after apratheid in South Africa, but they have a similar tone. I laughed along with his youthful misadventures. I marveled at his ability to move in and out of communities. I commiserated with this troubles at school. And then I was absolutely gutted by his frank discussions of racism and hate. Noah gives us an inside view of a tumultuous transition. I had to pause multiple times to place his own stories into a larger tragic context. Very good, but very powerful. And do not get me started on the final story about his mother. I was in tears reading it. I knew what was coming, but that didn't mean I was any more prepared for the story. An amazing read! And in a few days I get to discuss it with friends at book club. Hoping for a great conversation.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bloglovin' Claim

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Backpack Full of Videos

So so excited for this! And now the theme is stuck in my head...

Looks interesting

Love these weird mash-ups.

Such a good one!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #11

Reading: A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor. Continuing on with the Chronicles of St. Mary's series. Really loving it so far.

Watching: Arthur loves to watch an episode or two of Pink Panther before bed. I think we've seen them all at least three times.

Listening: Quentin's new favorite thing is blowing raspberries. Cute but now I am covered in baby spit...

Making: Working my way through May's memory planner spreads.

Feeling: After having sick kids start the week, I'm feeling very behind and frazzled about everything else.

Planning: Trying to get our weekend in order.

Loving: In the middle of a heat here in Northern California, but I can't give up coffee. Switched to iced coffee. So much better!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Zombies: A Brief History of Decay by Olivier Peru

Title: Zombies: A Brief History of Decay

Author: Olivier Peru

Publisher: Insight Comics 2017

Genre: Comics

Pages: 152

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Popsugar - Published in 2017; I Love Libraries

Six billion living corpses are all that remains of civilization. Among the few survivors is Sam Coleman, a man who owes his salvation to Smith & Wesson and a little luck. Fleeing Seattle at the onset of the zombie outbreak, he was forced to leave his daughter behind. Yet now that silence has fallen over the city, he believes that she may still be alive. And his conscience serves up a constant reminder that to be human in this grim world is to have hope—and to keep fighting.

A good collection of the first three volumes of Zombies. A bit like The Walking Dead, but not quite as severe. It was a quick read and I did enjoy it. Some very good graphics and characters. And I do appreciate the twist at the end of Volume 3. I'll have to check to see if any new comics are out.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Tuesday -- Sylvan Esso "Die Young"

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson

Title: Wonder Woman: The True Amazon

Author: Jill Thompson

Publisher: DC 2016

Genre: Comics

Pages: 128

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; I Love Libraries

See Wonder Woman like you’ve never seen her before in WONDER WOMAN: THE TRUE AMAZON, an original graphic novel from Eisner Award-winning writer and artist Jill Thompson. Join Princess Diana in her early years, as she develops into the formidable hero we know and love.
 
Young Diana has the fawning attention of her nation, but she soon grows spoiled and ungrateful. When a series of tragic events takes its toll, Diana must learn to grow up, take responsibility, and seize her destiny.

A great little origin story comic featuring the great art of Jill Thompson. This was a great companion piece to the new Wonder Woman movie. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Quentin: 37-38 Weeks

Q woke up puking yesterday canceling all our plans to visit the Pirate Festival. He stopped puking after a few hours, but man it was rough. He ended up taking a 4 hour nap when he usual only takes an hour nap if I'm lucky. The rest of the afternoon he was cranky but his fever had broke.

Selfie with mom

Likes: Snuggles with his blanket, playing with Arthur, grabbing my ankles, opening the pantry/cabinets, fruit of any kind

They're looking a bit creepy here... On the train at the zoo

Dislikes: Nap times, being told "no," not being able to eat all the little toys, being cold

Peek

A boo!

Sleeping: He's doing so much better with naps lately. I can usually get him to sleep in his crib for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, in the afternoon

The car seat box was so much fun to play in

Eating: All the things. His new favorite is chow mein. Love love loved it at the food trucks. 

Sound one's on the move!

Playing: All the things. He especially loves his Vtech ferris wheel. He loves to spin it and make all the noises. And all the stuffed animals are super fun to snuggle.

Playing with all the toys.

Milestones: 

• Waving — Nope.  Not yet.
• Preference of right or left hand — Not that I have noticed
• Stranger anxiety — Sort of. He doesn't seem to be upset if I'm still in the room.
• Responding to simple commands — Nope
• Grasping small objects with thumb and index finger — Check! 
• Becoming attached to a lovey — He has his rocket bees (blanket covered in rocket ships). Give him the choice of that one and his exact same material but different colored blanket and he picks the bis every time.
• Pulling up at furniture or even standing on his own — He's very slowly starting to pull up, but only when he;s sitting on me.

Beach day!

Out and About: We've had a few activities since the twins arrived. The day of, the littles had a playdate at a friend's house. We also hit the library, the Oakland Zoo, Half Moon Bay Beach, and lots of errands. Plus Quentin rode the Bart for the first time on a trip into San Francisco to visit the Asian Art Museum.

I got this look most of the day

Running away at the beach

Next up on the TBR Pile:

Life Right Now #17

Today is not my day... Q woke up puking. Like Exorcist style puking. We had plans to drive to Vallejo to go to the Pirate Festival. After taking a monster 4 hour nap, Q is doing much better. But it's still 100 degrees here and he's recovering, so we decided to not go to the festival. Sad, but that's how it goes somedays. Consequently, I completely forgot to finish this post.

As I look outside my window: As it's now 3:30pm, it's super bright and sunny (and ridiculously hot!) out there.

Right now I am: Sitting on the couch, catching up on One Bad Mother podcast episodes.

Thinking and pondering: Should I give the baby food or no? I'm so scared of more projectile vomit.

On my bedside table: A Trail with Time by Jodi Taylor, Dead Feminists, um... others I am forgetting.

On my tv this week: Lots of episodes of When Calls the Heart, a few episodes of Supernatural, and some movies with the twins including Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and John Wick Chapter 2.

Listening to: One Bad Mother podcasts. I'm three episodes behind! OH no!

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Sesame Chicken
• Tuesday - Beef Tips
• Wednesday - Chicken n Noodles
• Thursday - Broccoli Beef
• Friday - Pizza 
• Saturday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken
• Sunday - Leftover

On my to do list: Ugh. I need to make my to do list. I'm sure there are a ton of little things to do. Time to get to my previously not completed tasks.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Probably library visit. I also need to go buy stamps.
• Tuesday - Great America visit!
• Wednesday - Chabot Space and Science Center
• Thursday - Oakland Museum of California
• Friday - Pool Party here!
• Saturday - Possibly the Pinball Museum
• Sunday - Book club for me

From the camera:

 Next up on the TBR Pile:

Spring 2017 Clothing Summary

My goal is to keep my quarterly clothes budget to $200. I've still got some weight loss goals to achieve, but I need to do a bit of fill-in in the meantime.

Target $13.74

I spotted this cute lightweight top on the clearance rack. Usually the shirts I find are too short, but I think this one is just right. I'm a sucker for stripes and the lace detailing is great.

Marshall's $32.77

Popped into Marshall's on the hunt for sleeveless tops to wear for summer. My summer wardrobe is lacking... After combing through the racks, I found two that work great. This first one covers all my trouble areas, is perfectly lightweight but not see-through cotton, and has a great boho design.

I like the pattern of the second top even more, although I wish it was about 2 inches longer. I love the lace detailing and how flowy it is. Very comfortable top! As a bonus, it's not see-through!

2017 Total: $163.43

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Summer is running at full steam, but man it is exhausting!
• The twins have been at least trying dinner every night. Huge improvement over their usual "I don't like that" even though they've never had it. Now if only I could get Arthur to eat dinner...
• It looks like a tornado ripped through my house, but we had a successful playdate yesterday so I call it a win.
• No motivation to craft this week. So sad. Maybe I will get it back next week. 
• Book club this month is going to be interesting. We're reading Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. Hevy duty stuff. Plus we have a few more people coming that don't usually. Hoping for some great discussions! But first, I need to finish the book.
• Caught the declutter bug this week. Already filled on garbage bag with donations, another with trash, and a box of freebies for an upcoming crafting event.
• Snotty babies are no fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 3 by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must DieStories Vol. 3 (Dorothy Must Die #0.7-0.9)

Author: Danielle Page

Publisher: HarperCollins 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 258

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; I love Libraries

Before Amy Gumm lands in Oz in Dorothy Must Die, Dorothy Gale rules a twisted land where the Good have become truly Wicked—and it’s up to the Wicked to stop her reign. Follow your favorite witches from Dorothy Must Die as they form an elusive, secretive group known as the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and begin training their own army to defeat Dorothy.

Thankfully the prequels ended on a high note. I loved all three of these stories!

"Order of the Wicked" -- We get to see the order operating before Amy arrives. I loved learning more about Melindra and Nox. Plus we get to see what happens to Annabel. Fascinating story.

"Dark Side of the Rainbow" -- I'll admit that when Polychrome appeared in the first book, I couldn't care less. This story changed my opinion. I loved seeing the Rainbow Island, getting more from Ozma, and setting up the mystery of Bright.

"The Queen of Oz" -- How exciting! Mombi and Ozma and Pete and Glamora and Glinda all in one story. I sped through this one because it was just so good. I love that it feels in some of the gaps from the previous stories and we get more from some of the best characters in the series. 

Now I'm ready to jump back into the regular series and find out more about Amy's journey through Oz.

Dorothy Must Die

• #0.1 No Place Like Oz
• #0.2 The Witch Must Burn
• #0.3 The Wizard Returns
• #0.4 Heart of Tin
• #0.5 The Straw King
• #0.6 Ruler of Beasts
• #0.7 Order of the Wicked
• #0.8 Dark Side of the Rainbow
• #0.9 The Queen of Oz
• #1 Dorothy Must Die
• #2 The Wicked Will Rise
• #3 Yellow Brick War
• #4 The End of Oz

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Tuesday -- Lindsey Stirling feat. Rooty "Love's Just a Feeling"

Next up on the TBR Pile:

Quentin Update

Someone, actually two someones have been sick all weekend. Just run of the mill colds, but it's knocked us on our butts. Quentin's update will be back next week...