tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85434974420441194082024-03-14T02:03:31.088-07:00Books, teaching, & cooking... but mostly books!Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-9194344167007755862009-05-17T15:32:00.001-07:002009-05-17T16:17:08.101-07:00Better late than never, right???<span style="font-family:georgia;">So, it's been awhile... School got busy, and I got lazy. What can I say? </span><div><div><div> </div><div>I'm now at 31 books for the year. 23-31 are listed below.</div><div> </div><div>23. In the Woods (Pretty good)</div><div>24. The Lightning Thief </div><div>25. The Graveyard Book (Very, very good)</div><div>26. Sold (Really sad, but an easy, quick, good read)</div><div>27. Stardust</div><div>28. Jellicoe Road (Excellent)</div><div>29. ttfn (Stupid... I read it while I was confined to bed b/c of a severe kidney infection)<br />30. The Sea of Monsters</div><div>31. Breaking Dawn (Yeah, I reread it. I don't get what so many people hate about it, because I love it!)</div><br /><div>I've kind of been in a reading dry spell lately. The weather's been pretty good for the most part, which makes it hard for me to focus on reading. I'm reading <u>The Titan's Curse</u> right now, and I'll probably finish it soon. </div><br /><div>School's out Thursday, and I can't wait. I'm so ready for summer! </div><br /><div>Speaking of school being out, my youngest sister, Jetta, graduated today. All of our family came to my parents' house before & after, and we had a blast, as usual. It's always great to see everyone, and we always have fun when we're together. I took a lot of pictures, and some of the best ones are below. </div><br /><div>Before graduation began, the whole Senior class was having their picture taken. We kept yelling for Jetta to turn, and she did. I think the picture's pretty funny...<br /></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336931172906776898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMw9uH6mThfwPr_a9yflbeupZzds2oGG8GZP_ht4MF_9BHQvbLtTEL-Ev9JeezfN9J4eN-SYE2ZHeMGhYG1_5gNzpMKSryZTdVakv1DXHdxgozF4GB9XunRaBsnwZBjiamFZoIKcl/s320/Hey,+Jetta!.JPG" border="0" />Jetta, Cory, & me</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336931651983905074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxL1o_Zmxdu1x4W-ubhAVfF0OqzF5jMis4ML3nodPDPjZr6X9w56bt2CA46ercWmnTNpAM4GLcA8aLQDKHufG_vX2iwBwZCGqGNPmiFGrh15AJaB6gdI4Ack7uDIg00Neurd1Aord/s320/Jetta,+Cory,+%26+Me.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p>Case, Jetta, & Hayden</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336932517426450706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFJZ2r7DvnAWsDWdOno0NxGR13M2wGmFw3z2Uz7zDwWfgjq3-g_IF-GTy9iyW6xkCC1ivq5ti8-08gsKoLL3EoTxko3-ICntnzvWqc68clYacyWx_y7sLqf8H-tEGVoGYrqA5l7Pk/s320/Case,+Jetta,+%26+Hayden.jpg" border="0" />So for this next picture, some explanation is required. My grandma smokes like a chimney. We love her, but she does. We were waiting for her to come to the back yard so that we could take her picture w/ my mom & my Aunt Pam. They got tired of waiting, so they started smoking (don't worry, they were only "smoking" sticks:))...</div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336933661923649858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgow6TlT_lyNL351Tp_IVCtTIFZHkM_dob_eerZRvM7SQujnVMxRxbEPLn8HlzJ2XVEKQlEMW-V-JCnDD5x0TsB_x9arRm_ntkuiPRY0RSpkO6xLkGx_A4S7APJ6Xgds7hCni3ofzh8/s320/Smoking.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>And finally, my whole family :)</div><div> </div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336934191735234402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwIrH9CetOjqm3Do3YMOCTgrz383maCisfMp8-6h1djcpI-whPG5FF10FRT7LLnsfMoFOatAZ-WT4JnZpTNGkVyiyEHkbg2i7HnKJtr10-VaYBxWm2CigIWKAqsxOf6uW96j9mtXr/s320/The+whole+fam-damily.jpg" border="0" /><br />If you're reading this, I hope you have a good week. For me, Friday can't come fast enough! <br /><br /><br /></div><p><br /></p><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-17187290570830689952009-04-17T18:46:00.001-07:002009-04-17T18:48:51.571-07:00The Hunger Games<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy2fRLCwvEr2gnMKlsP4YlqVi7arex4V1QmgeX3ofyM-6oTuG5tXq-0lBvZsgftw4AjD4VI0SyfRk7mC3jQObsDfNnYaSO1VttSUGxZyFwBnohIkQPTRlhnXBLJ9Ai31fEjAcyBck/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325842039309245010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 85px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy2fRLCwvEr2gnMKlsP4YlqVi7arex4V1QmgeX3ofyM-6oTuG5tXq-0lBvZsgftw4AjD4VI0SyfRk7mC3jQObsDfNnYaSO1VttSUGxZyFwBnohIkQPTRlhnXBLJ9Ai31fEjAcyBck/s320/images.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Read this book. Now. <span style="font-size:130%;">Right now.</span> Do it. It's amazing. I don't have any other words for it; you just have to read it!<br /><br />Oh, and that makes 22. :)</span>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-43210241254498375232009-04-14T17:46:00.000-07:002009-04-14T18:08:08.525-07:0021 Total<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlq-lB5tNMwhyphenhyphenwQEG_OZqKTuy76atuWzQKx0JYoa63mdSKnYbOJLVuwqfz4nhhznh9tSeVEsioM-kgyzhnb6bQGRj36J3esMN5BUYCUykG7oWlYCZpZzXFatDwS2dgiTbNhY3cgB7/s1600-h/scorpion.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324717325169410930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 211px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlq-lB5tNMwhyphenhyphenwQEG_OZqKTuy76atuWzQKx0JYoa63mdSKnYbOJLVuwqfz4nhhznh9tSeVEsioM-kgyzhnb6bQGRj36J3esMN5BUYCUykG7oWlYCZpZzXFatDwS2dgiTbNhY3cgB7/s320/scorpion.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">So it's been a week... I've finished 3 books! The first book I finished was <u>House of the Scorpion</u> by Nancy Farmer. It was okay. Not spectacular; not horrible; just okay. In the beginning, it was a good, easy read. The characters, especially the main character, are strong and relatable. The book takes place in the future, and the main character, Matt, is the clone of an all-powerful drug lord. The general public sees Matt as an animal, but El Patron (the drug lord from whom he was cloned) makes sure that he's educated. Matt basically lives a sheltered life of luxury on El Patron's ranch until El Patron's heart begins to fail. Matt learns that he's going to be killed so that El Patron can have a heart, but Celia (his caretaker and El Patron's cook) and Tam Lin (El Patron's body guard and Matt's surrogate father-figure) have been giving Matt arsenic so that he can live (El Patron can't use him for parts that way). Tam Lin helps Matt escape... Then the story lost me. Matt goes off into Aztlan (what was formerly Mexico) and has to work in a communist society... He meets boys his own age... The end of the story just wasn't as good as the beginning. It kind of ruined the whole book for me because it didn't seem to fit with the story overall. The ending was especially annoying, because it was a vague "happily ever after," but there were several problems left. </span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I'd recommend <u>House of the Scorpion</u> to middle schoolers who are into Science Fiction.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I realized that I said I was done with the Anne of Green Gables books... Well, I wasn't. I ended up reading the final two in the series <u>Rainbow Valley</u> and <u>Rilla of Ingleside</u>. I started <u>Rainbow Valley</u> because I couldn't fall asleep to clone adventures, and then I couldn't stop reading them. If you've never read the Anne of Green Gables series, you should. They're timeless.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I'm debating whether to start <u>The Hunger Games</u> by Suzanne Collins or <u>In the Woods</u> by Tana French. </div>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-44326345480194611492009-04-07T17:19:00.000-07:002009-04-07T17:30:33.524-07:00Meatballs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp77-6NOYwvchxy-7HG2XXccU4eoB5YQzDSJSSPJdpsW6j0u75XHFng60Eo1k-14oSqBPhjMzkuvNn4o9MkrKTErf-p1vhJztf1KQliCQ2-A1SufiZ_Fp5xzEfEwqQk-hU4-N-ZPf/s1600-h/Dinner+Blog.jpg"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322110176703328274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp77-6NOYwvchxy-7HG2XXccU4eoB5YQzDSJSSPJdpsW6j0u75XHFng60Eo1k-14oSqBPhjMzkuvNn4o9MkrKTErf-p1vhJztf1KQliCQ2-A1SufiZ_Fp5xzEfEwqQk-hU4-N-ZPf/s320/Dinner+Blog.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">My dinner looked so good tonight, I couldn't resist posting a picture and the recipe. I made spaghetti (for Cory) and meatballs. I also made myself a side of sauteed spinach with balsamic vinegar. Here's the recipe for the meatballs...<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 lb. ground beef</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 lb. ground pork</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">1/2 c. parmesan cheese</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">3/4 c. bread crumbs</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 eggs</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">3 cloves garlic (grated)</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">2 tsp. italian herb seasoning</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">pinch red pepper flakes</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">salt </span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">pepper</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">I mix the ingredients and roll the meatballs, which I put on a baking sheet. I bake the meatballs at around 375 degrees for 25 minutes. The recipe makes about 24 meatballs. When they're done, I take them out of the oven and put them into the sauce (which is mostly Barilla tomato basil sauce with some of my mom's canned tomatoes crushed and mixed in). I let it simmer together for about 5 minutes, and then it's eating time! I grated some asiago cheese on top of my meatballs tonight. It was really really really good! :)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">I didn't realize it until just now, but I downloaded some pictures of our cat, Adrienne, with the dinner pics. She likes to sit like a human, and she firmly believes that she is one. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322110723054094434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF2CvmFG50ut0EZog46ibzehbAr9ELOEet1PZMqj70Ct-iwZy-_7TUy55wO8YbUHpsbrpV_LEVUhIx3HOwA7o6PFs-Wv-Lx5HVlnLv6d1r9b0FxfnMZs22EyiEokg9g47M5qS3Iit/s320/Adrienne.jpg" border="0" />Weird cat...<br /></span><div></div>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-61577293096994087402009-04-07T16:10:00.000-07:002009-04-07T16:30:01.997-07:00Done with Anne for awhile...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhDt4Ol909ooDHlUC4m4PSBMLUOUSxXkbJMMxBzHbRMkk8eTI-_Qi3zn6Vmo-gb4AM5wHIVwzPgLZK9C0ot14gIdYE9JHtu3NXOB2cDPYhKJU5j1Ei179dYyMILXHd3-mWbFBUhcD/s1600-h/book-cover-illustration-anne.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322095739360131586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 211px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhDt4Ol909ooDHlUC4m4PSBMLUOUSxXkbJMMxBzHbRMkk8eTI-_Qi3zn6Vmo-gb4AM5wHIVwzPgLZK9C0ot14gIdYE9JHtu3NXOB2cDPYhKJU5j1Ei179dYyMILXHd3-mWbFBUhcD/s320/book-cover-illustration-anne.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">I finished Anne of Ingleside last weekend, bringing my grand total of books read this year to 18. Not bad, if I do say so myself...and I do! :) The thing I like the most about the Anne of Green Gables books is that they're always able to transport me back to my childhood. When I was young (like from 3rd grade to 6th grade), I used to spend the summers reading my favorite books over and over. My mom used to kick me outside, usually with book still in hand. I read the Anne books over and over. I love that Anne never really grows up. Even as an adult, she keeps the dreams and fantasies she had as a child. When I was a kid, my favorite of the Anne books was Anne of the Island, when she goes off to college. It's the most love-storyish of any of the Anne books, in my opinion. Now, though, I find myself liking Anne of Avonlea more. The things Anne goes through while teaching are things I go through myself, and she seems to handle things so well. Her philosophy on discipline is similar to mine, too. She believes that caring for and investing in students personally will help them to develop a relationship with their teacher, which, in turn, will make them want to behave. I try to practice this as much as possible. It's funny that a book written so long ago can still ring true today...</span><br /></div><div></div><br /><div>But enough about Anne! I'm currently reading The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. It's good so far... It's science fiction, which I sometimes like and sometimes don't. I think the reason I like it is because it's so character driven. I'll review it fully when I finish it. </div><br /><div></div>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-45615958284803585042009-04-03T15:05:00.000-07:002009-04-07T17:30:49.294-07:00A looooooooooong week<span style="font-family:georgia;">So, it's been a long week. My students haven't been particularly well-behaved, which exhausts me... It's all okay though--only 33 days until summer. Ahh, summer. Nothing but kickball played with little kids in the sunshine at day camp. Paradise!<br /><br />One bright spot in the week--it was my husband's birthday! He got Royals-Yankees tickets, and we're looking forward to going to the game.<br /><br />And now back to what this blog is supposed to be about--reading. Sadly, I must admit that I haven't finished a single book this week due to the aforementioned exhaustion and birthday (with celebration). :( Surely I can finish Anne of Ingleside this weekend. I'm hitting a lull with the Anne books, so I think that it's time to move on to something else. Comment if you've got suggestions. :)</span>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543497442044119408.post-14310936743806138742009-03-30T16:30:00.000-07:002009-03-30T16:46:50.895-07:00Wow... A blog...<span style="font-family:georgia;">So this is what it feels like to blog... Weird... Oddly like typing an e-mail to no one. Anyway, I thought I'd start this (although I'm not sure who will read it) to share my thoughts on books, teaching, cooking, and life in general. I'm doing the 50 book project this year, and I have a lot of thoughts regarding the books I've read. Here's the list so far...</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1. Ophelia by Lisa Klein</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">3. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">4. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">5. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">6. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">7. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">8. The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">9. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">10. Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">11. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">12. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">13. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">14. Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">15. Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">16. The Magician by Michael Scott</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">17. Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It might seem odd that this list has so much Young Adult Lit on it, and that's no mistake. I'm an 8th grade English teacher, and I sort of have the literary taste of a 15-year-old girl. Can't help it. I keep telling myself that I'll read something of substance eventually; maybe when school's out... Time will tell! </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've been re-reading some of my old favorites lately, which has been comforting...</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The only disappointment on my list so far has been Angels & Demons. I really enjoyed The DiVinci Code, but Angels & Demons was a little too unbelivable for my taste. I mean really... The guy parachutes from a helicopter using little more than a bedsheet and somehow survives?! Ridiculous! </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Aside from that, it's been really nice to read more and watch less tv. </span>Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093219962367173649noreply@blogger.com0