Authors and Publishers, I am happy to receive ARCs and published children's, middle grade, and YA books for review. When I finish it, I will review it. If you need the review posted in a certain time period, please let me know and I will move it to the top of the stack. Please note: my reviews are honest, but they are my opinion. If you don't want that, please don't ask. Email Me for reviews.
It's been awhile since my last post, and I vowed not to let this happen, but how was I to know the upheaval that would be my life over the last month. This will be a non-bookish post, as I haven't done much of that lately either, so it's up to you if you continue to read or not.
Life is getting back to some kind of normal, although that may change again soon. As of today, we have completed all of our adoption training, turned in all of our paperwork, and we have our fire & health inspections on Sunday. After that, we just wait! Now, I'm not a patient person, which is why we're done with it all, because I was determined not to drag this out. If we're going to wait, it's going to be on a baby, not the fact that we couldn't get the training or paperwork taken care of.
I'll tell you that the most stressful part of this whole thing has been the home study. We are a simple couple, don't live in an elaborate house, and we raise horses. Would the agency want someone like us? Would they not want to place a child in our home because it's not high dollar? You can't even imagine the thoughts that went through my head before the visit. What was I worried about? I just had to get over myself and get through it. They weren't looking for perfect couples, just couples who would love a child. Well, that's us! We got the house ready and got through it...what a relief when it was over! I thought you'd like to see some pictures of the nursery so far...
Curtain that my mom made
Crib sheet my grandmother made
Shelf that I painted and hubby hung for me
We painted the room a pale yellow and the material is mostly browns with yellows, pinks and blues, so it's gender neutral, since we won't know the sex of the baby until we get a phone call. We don't have a preference one way or the other, so we wanted something that would work either way. It's called Baby Animal Talk and has baby farm animals on it.
We did have to tell the agency what kind of a child we would like, race, age, etc. Our hope is for a newborn, but we told them that if the infant had a toddler aged brother or sister, we wouldn't want to split them up. Our family of 2 will grow to 3 or 4 in an instant. Just the thought makes me nervous and excited at the same time!
I'm ready to start blogging again, now that the training and paperwork are over. Yes, coupled with the end of the school year, waiting for state test results and adoption jitters, it's going to be sporadic, but I need it. Blogging is therapeutic for me, the other bloggers my sanctuary in a sometimes crazy, hectic life. I'm thankful to be part of such a welcoming, loving community.
I can breathe again, for now...at least until the phone call comes.
I have never done end of the month wrap ups on my blog. Yes, others do it, yes, I read them on others' blogs, yes, it's fun to see the stats, but I just don't do it. I'm not sure why. Maybe this past month is a good reason why I don't.
March was not good to me as far as reading went. For what it's worth, April hasn't taken off with a bang either, but my plan is to remedy that before the month gets away from me. Anyway, back to March. Did I even finish a book? According to Goodreads, I did...Adventures in Nowhere, but it was at the very beginning of the month, so it's just a blur in my memory. Did I do a lot of reading? Not as much as I would have liked, but I started some books: Alice in Zombieland, Hailey Twitch and the Great Teacher Switch, and The Wilder Life. These are all good books, but they just didn't hold my attention. I've been in a reading slump before, but enough already! I want a book that will "catch" me. So, last night I started reading Hourglass while I took a bath. 2 chapters in and so far so good...let's hope it lives up to all the blogger hype. I really need to get through this one, for me, for my reading inspiration, for the love of blogging.
April is a busy work month for me, but I've got to learn to prioritize so that it doesn't consume me. For those of you with children or who are in the education industry, you know that states give standardized tests. The end of the month is the TAKS, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, test in Math and Reading for our 3rd and 4th graders. They have been busily preparing, we have been anxiously stressing over practice test scores, etc. Once it's over, I'll be able to breathe a whole lot easier and so will my teachers.
After that, it's adoption anticipation. We went for our 2nd and final day of PRIDE training yesterday. Now, we have CPR/first aid on Friday, our home study on the 13th, psychotropic meds on the 14th and then behavior management on the 23rd. We've got almost all of our paperwork turned in, so after the 23rd, she can submit for our license and then we just wait on a phone call. My oldest step-daughter is coming over today to help me clean out and redo the middle room for a nursery and my mom's coming to go get the material for all the nursery "stuff." My grandmother and I will spend next Saturday sewing everything. It will make for a long day, but in the end, it will be so worth it. This is the material that we will be using.
It's gender neutral because we won't know if we'll be getting a boy or a girl until the phone call comes. We don't have a preference one way or the other, just a healthy baby to love. It's amazing to think that our life will change overnight and I'm trying to prepare for it in a month. Pregnant women have 9 months to do all of that...hmmm...maybe I'm crazy!
Last weekend, 2 of our granddaughters came over for a little while. They rode horses and then my husband washed down the horses before putting them up. Our youngest granddaughter had so much fun playing in the mud that when she left, she was only in her shirt and diaper. Boy, was she a mess!! This picture was taken after she had been splashing in the water. She was laughing because she thought it was so funny!
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate, just post a picture that you, family, or a friend have taken. The amount of captioning is up to you. Pictures must be clean and appropriate for all eyes.
No April Fool's jokes for you today, just a fun Friday Fill-In. Have a great weekend!
1. I can't believe it's April already.
2. Drinks for everyone.
3. How can I get all this done in just a month?
4. Chicken soup with vegetables was the last thing I cooked.
5. Six of one half a dozen of another is a saying I use all the time.
6. Oh my gosh; nonono!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing at home, tomorrow my plans include our 2nd day of PRIDE training and Sunday, I want to clean out the middle bedroom to turn it into a baby room!
I'm late with my Salon post, but it's been a busy weekend and I really wanted to write about this, so I couldn't pre-write and schedule the post ahead of time.
This is a book blog and I don't often share personal information with you, but there are times when I want you to get to know me better as a person, which I think is important in the blogging community. So, I'm taking the opportunity to let you into my world a little bit today.
My husband and I embarked on an emotional journey yesterday. We started the process of adoption. Yesterday was our first training class. We will go again next Saturday, then 2 weeknights and one more Saturday to fulfill the training requirements. We will also be undergoing a home study along the way. This decision has been a long time in the making. You see, my husband has 2 children from a previous marriage and they have given us 5 beautiful grandchildren, but I've always wanted a child of my own. Unfortunately, after many years of trying, lots of doctor visits and tears, we just aren't able to do so on our own. Yes, we could go the in-vitro route, but it's expensive and not 100%. We decided just to keep trying and if it happened, it happened. Well, it hasn't, so here we are.
One of my teachers adopted a little boy last year, and she introduced me to Sans Pareil Center, who we are working with. Sans Pareil does adoption with CPS as well as private adoptions. Private is very costly, so we are going foster to adopt through CPS. Our desire is to get an infant, foster until the CPS case is closed and then officially adopt him or her. No, we don't have a gender preference. We will be happy with whatever the Lord blesses us with. We have been told that the process should go quickly, it will be emotional, sometimes stressful, but worth it in the end. I will keep you posted.
One thing I do want to share with you is One Cause. One Cause provides adoptive parents a way to raise funds for adoption related expenses in an easy way. It allows people to earn contributions while shopping online. Part of the money that is spent with everyday merchants is given back to the adopting family, from the National Adoption Foundation. I'm sharing with you, the letter I sent to friends and family.
Dear Family and Friends,
We want to share our exciting news with you! We have decided to expand our family through adoption and are busily getting ready to welcome our new child!
For us, the difficult part of this process - other than the waiting - is the expense. As some of you may know, adoption expenses include agency fees, legal fees, document preparation costs, travel expenses and more. We have been saving some, but are still seeking ways to raise more funds for our wonderful venture.
We recently learned of a program through OneCause and the National Adoption Foundation that we think will help us make our adoption dream come true. OneCause is a nontraditional fundraising program that will help us earn the funds we need through everyday opportunities, such as shopping at hundreds of name-brand merchants online or in stores and catalogs, through purchasing gift certificates, by using the OneCause credit card, or through a variety of other easy programs.
We're really excited about this program and wanted to let you know that you can participate and help us build our family by becoming a member of OneCause. There's absolutely no cost or hassle to you - just do what you do every day and we will earn credit toward our adoption costs!
Here's How You Can Help
1. Become a registered member of OneCause. Simply go to www.onecause.com and register as a OneCause member. This only takes a minute and you'll be on your way to helping us out.
2. Once you have registered, find the "Dues Crediting" field at the bottom of the online registration screen. You will see a field called "Benefiting." Enter our registered email address and your contributions will automatically begin to benefit us.
Our registered email address is: shelcows@sbcglobal.net
3. Begin shopping at hundreds of OneCause merchants online, in stores, and through catalogs. You'll earn a merchant contribution on each purchase, a percentage of which will go toward our adoption credit. Remember to begin all of your online shopping at OneCause so we earn credit!
4. Consider signing up for and using the OneCause Visa card for all of your purchases. On every purchase you make with the card - no matter where you make it - the National Adoption Foundation earns a 1% contribution, part of which goes toward our adoption. To sign up, go to visa.onecause.com or call 1-800-297-1286 and use code 28B8. Once your card arrives, be sure to activate, register your card, and start shopping!
5. Ask us about other OneCause opportunities to help us earn adoption credit!
That's all there is to it!
Please call or email us with any questions you may have regarding our situation. We are always excited and happy to talk about this wonderful adventure. When our child arrives home to us, we will contact you with our happy news. Thank you so much for helping us bring our child home.
Thank you!
Willie and Shelly Burns
Register with OneCause and help us build our family! www.onecause.com
1. Why does it always seem darker before the dawn?
2.Too much is equal to not enough, for some people.
3. My favorite breakfast includes waffles with strawberries.
4. Exposed was the last book I read that I absolutely loved.
5. I am SO glad today is Friday and it's only a 1/2 day with kids.
6. Sleep would make me feel better right now.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to possibly visiting friends who just had a baby, tomorrow my plans include PRIDE Training, for adoption and Sunday, I want to work outside!
Last weekend we celebrated my nephew's 2nd birthday. Those of you that have followed my blog for awhile know that I absolutely adore this little guy! He is the spitting image of my brother when he was a baby, with the exception of the light hair. We had his party at one of those indoor jumping facilities. Everyone had a blast, but the best part for me was watching him enjoy this pizza. Even after the cake was brought out, a gift overnighted from his aunt in Florida with his favorite cartoon character on it, he still wanted the pizza. I'm not sure if he ever ate a bite of that cake!
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate, just post a picture that you, family, or a friend have taken. The amount of captioning is up to you. Pictures must be clean and appropriate for all eyes.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner out, tomorrow my plans include my nephew's 2nd birthday party and Sunday, I want to rest!
I've been MIA pretty much all week this week and I apologize. It's that time of year, and I didn't want this to happen, but I wasn't prepared. That is a problem I'm going to remedy for the upcoming week.
This past week was a busy one for me personally, but not a very productive reading week. Our 4th graders took the TAKS Writing test on Tuesday, so the first part of my week was spent focused on that. I had to do all the prep work on Monday, test all day Tuesday, and then pack up and turn in tests on Wednesday. It takes a lot of focus and the actual testing day tired me out; it's exhausting to prepare for a state test. The students are glad it's behind us, and now we start to prepare for Math and Reading that will be given at the end of April.
The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo started this past week as well. If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know that I volunteer for this 3 week long event. My work days are scattered throughout the show and during the week are at night, so I'm up late and don't get much sleep on these nights. I enjoy it though. It's so fun to see all the people coming off the buses to enjoy the show and then hear about their experiences as they load the bus to go back home. I'm on a committee called Rodeo Express, and we are in charge of the buses that take patrons back and forth from specific park and rides to the stadium. This is my 11th year and I'm so glad to be a part of this yearly event in Houston. It does take a lot of my time though, so there goes my evening reading.
Oh well, the Read-A-Thon is coming up, so I will be able to catch up then. Have you signed up yet? You really should. The Read-A-Thon is so much fun whether you participate as a reader or a cheerleader. I'm anxiously awaiting this event so that I can catch up on my reading. Won't you join us? There are already 102 readers signed up.
So, what did I read this week? It's sad to say that I am still working on Adventures in Nowhere. I've been 2 weeks on this one, and I should have been finished by now. It seems like when I finish a really good book, I have a hard time completing my next one. It's very frustrating! Exposed is what I read before this; you can read my review here. My goal is to finish it this week so that I can start on the mounting TBR pile that is developing. I'm hoping this week is better than last.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing in my chair while watching tv with my husband, tomorrow my plans include a trip to Trinity for a baby shower and some reading in the evening and Sunday, I want to read after I work the rodeo all day!
My husband took this picture of the elephants at the Houston Zoo this past week. He is a concrete superintendent and his company does all the concrete work at the zoo. This past week he worked on a new sidewalk around the elephant's habitat. In this picture are 3 females (the large ones in the back), 1 young male and 1 young female (the 2 little ones in the middle). The dark one on the left is 45 years old.
He has come home with some funny stories about the elephants!
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate, just post a picture that you, family, or a friend have taken. The amount of captioning is up to you. Pictures must be clean and appropriate for all eyes.
"Bug" is our 3rd grandchild, our youngest daughter's middle child. I can't believe she's going to be 5!
Happy Birthday Bug!
Snapshot Saturday is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate, just post a picture that you, family, or a friend have taken. The amount of captioning is up to you. Pictures must be clean and appropriate for all eyes.
1. New experiences and possibilities abound every day.
2. Around an unexpected turn on a daily walk I ran into a biker.
3. I'm looking forward to one day being a mom.
4. Kids do some things I never have imagined.
5. Try to find the good.
6. My hair is what's extraordinary about me.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner out, tomorrow my plans include setting up tents to get ready for rodeo and Sunday, I want to rest!
Yes, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Whether you enjoy this day or not, you can not ignore it, because there are signs of this upcoming day everywhere you look, in the stores and on the television. In fact, as I'm typing this, they are doing a piece on Good Morning America about which chocolate people like better, Hershey's or Godiva?
I have always enjoyed Valentine's Day, because my mom made it a special day for us. We always got chocolate truffles, cupcakes, heart shaped cookies, or some other chocolaty treat my mom had made. My dad used to give us board games or other things to keep us occupied. While I don't have kids, yet, this day has continued to be full of wonder for me since I work in a school and little ones are so excited to exchange valentines with their friends and teacher. To me, not only is it about love, but it's about friendship as well, which is a different kind of love. Try explaining that to little ones who think love is only the mushy gushy, kissy kind of love. It can be funny at times.
When I was in the classroom, I always read lots of Valentine's Day books to my kids, for the entire week leading up to Valentine's Day. Then, unbeknownst to them, I would ask the parents to write a love note to their child, and send it to me before Valentine's Day. Before our class party, I would read Love You Forever to the class. The children love the repetitive text and seeing the mom care for the little boy and then the roles reverse. The book itself makes me cry, but afterward, I would read aloud each letter from the parents. The kids loved hearing those special words from their mom or dad, and the rest of the class cheered for whomever's letter was being read. Some of the letters were long and some just a simple, "Happy Valentine's Day; I love you!" It was truly a special time. I don't have a class to do this with anymore, but I will be writing my own letter this year, to my husband. I prefer to do simple, from the heart things for him on this day rather than buy a big gift. So, today I will be writing my letter so that he has it when he wakes up tomorrow. Who could you send a love note to?
If you're looking for books to give kids for Valentine's Day, I recently read a couple that I think would be great!
Thumb Love by Elise Primavera Lulu was a thumb sucker. She and her thumb were very happy together—in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, Lulu and her thumb were best friends.
Despite the urging of her family and the teasing of her friends, Lulu just would not give up her thumb-sucking habit. That is, until one day . . . when Lulu made up her mind to stop. And to help herself and thumb suckers all over the world, Lulu developed a program—one with steps. Twelve steps, to be exact. Join Lulu in her quest to kick the habit as she goes through the steps in this funny and insightful picture book.
This is such a cute book! Lulu is makes up her own twelve step program, which is very unexpected, from a little one. The illustrations add so much to this picture book. They are bright and full of detail. I gifted this one to one of my teacher's children, who is in kindergarten and still sucks her thumb. She loves Lulu! Mom said that the first night they read it, she sucked her thumb all the way through and even had to get her blanket while they read, just like Lulu!
It's Valentine's Day and Ruby won't let anything spoil the celebration! In this follow-up to the popular Love, Ruby Valentine, Ruby's favorite day of the year rolls around again, and she and Lovebird work feverishly to plan the perfect party for everyone in Heartland. But when Valentine's Day arrives, an unexpected snowstorm threatens to ruin all of Ruby's plans. Will Ruby find a way to save the day, or will everyone in Heartland have to wait until next year to celebrate Another heartwarming tale of a girl who discovers the true meaning of Valentine's Day.
The cover just looks like Valentine's with all the hearts everywhere! Ruby loves Valentine's Day and wants to share it with her friends, but a snowstorm tries to ruin that. So, Ruby decides to take the party to them, but all of her decorations get scattered in the snow. She thinks Valentine's Day is ruined, but her friends help her to see that it is not about the presents, cards and cake, but about being together. The rhyming text and fun illustrations make this book a fun one for young and old.
So, what are your thoughts on Valentine's Day? Is it a day you enjoy, look forward to, or just dread all together? Do you give gifts to your loved ones? If so, are they store bought, handmade, or some of both? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
So, I haven't had a picture of my nephew on the blog lately and I couldn't resist posting this one! I debated even posting it because of what he's doing, but most of you, my readers, have or have had little ones and you know that they can put themselves in some strange places.
My sister-in-law was taking clothes out of the dryer the night before our big winter storm. She was standing there folding them and she and my brother were discussing whether or not he would get up and drive to work in all the ice. Well, you can guess how my nephew ended up sitting in the dryer! He threw his ball in there and when he couldn't get it out, he just climbed in to retrieve it and had a seat! I laughed so hard when my brother texted this picture to me along with a note, "we can't take our eyes off him even for a minute." All my mom could tell him was, "After all you put me through, I just have to laugh." My brother didn't think any of it was very funny!
For those of you who are worried, no, he can't open the dryer door by himself as it locks and is hard even for adults to open. Yes, my sister-in-law and brother watch him like a hawk, but even hawks have their moments!
You can join Saturday Snapshot by posting a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's blog, At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include walking in the Black History Parade with some of my students and Sunday, I want to read!
So, yesterday, pretty much all day, I participated in The Big Game's On Read-a-Thon hosted by Jenn's Bookshelves. I got a lot of reading done, that I'd been needing to do. My children's books were stacking up and if I was going to review them, I needed to read them, so that's what I did.
What did I accomplish exactly? Well, I read a total of 28 books. 27 of those were children's picture books that I read and then made notes on so that I can get reviews written. Then I read the 3rd installment in the Aldo Zelnick series, Cahoots. Like Artsy-Fartsy and Bogus, it was a good read. Look for a review in the coming weeks on this one. My ultimate goal was to finish The Radleys, but that didn't happen. In between reading, I was doing laundry and cleaning the bedroom, so I lost some time there.
I did watch the game, mostly the commercials because when the commercials weren't on, I was reading. Yes, I can listen to the game and read at the same time...multi tasking at it's best! What was your favorite commercial? I do have to say, I liked the mini Darth Vader...how cute was he?!!
I'm so glad that Jenn decided to host this read-a-thon; I had fun and got so much accomplished!
...for the little piece of awesomeness that was left at my gate today while I was at work!!!
Isn't it beautiful? That's just the packaging...they went all out! Here's what I found when I opened it up:
I was flabbergasted! What a brilliant display of a wonderful book. I just don't really have the words to put together to truly explain my feelings about this. Only once before have I received an ARC packaged so exquisitely. Simon & Schuster are doing their best to promote, promote, promote and make sure this one gets out there and gets read. Included in the box is an ARC of Wither, a promotional post card, a letter from Justin Chanda, VP/Publisher for S&S Books for Young Readers, and a tube of June Beans, A.K.A. chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I just have to say, they are yummy; I've been eating them as I type this.
I just had to share this with you, my readers. Look for a review to come soon, as this one releases next month! Thank you again Simon & Schuster; you can send mail to my house anytime!!!
For this challenge, take a look at the books you plan on reading today. Which do you predict will come out as the winner and why? Do a post to answer this question. It will be interesting to come back at the end of the day & see if your predictions are correct!
Well, since I've already started reading, 14 children's books so far, this is a little tough for me to answer. My goal is to get through my children's picture books so that I can get some reviews written. So, I will not be choosing one of those as my winner for today. I do, however, have a couple of other books that I hope to finish and/or start today as well, after I finish the children's books.
Last night I started reading The Radleys, because I have heard so much about it around the blogosphere. I hope to finish it today because it is divided up into short little chapters and has been a quick read so far. The other book I want to get to is Cahoots, the 3rd book in the Aldo Zelnick comic novel series. So, to put it in football terms, the big match up is between these two titles. Who do I think will come out on top? Well, I'm a huge fan of Aldo and I've heard great things about The Radleys, so my choice is:
THE RADLEYS!!!
Let's hope I'm right! Check back with me tomorrow...I'll have the answer for you.
It's time for the week in review, better known as The Sunday Salon. I enjoy this weekly feature because it allows me to wrap up the past week, what I read, what I blogged, what I enjoyed etc. and see the same from other bloggers. Often times when I read a Salon post, I'm led to blog posts that I may have missed during the week.
This has been a COLD week here in south Texas. All over the US even, folks are covered in snow and ice. We had our share and even had to close schools and businesses here on Friday. It made for a great reading day for me! I shared a picture of some of the ice yesterday in my Snapshot Saturday.
I did get 2 books read this week; Sing You Home & Wrecker. That doesn't sound like much, I know, but when you work full time, come home to feed horses, squeezing in reading can sometimes prove to be difficult. I'm very pleased with my reading this week and will be reviewing these titles here on the blog real soon. After reading about The Radleys on a number of blogs, that is my next read; I started it last night and am enjoying it so far.
Elizabeth Harper stopped by the blog this week for Because of A Book, to share about a children's book that impacted her, The Boy Who Saw True. Possum Summer was my "Waiting On" Wednesday pick this week, and I reviewed A True Princess as part of a blog tour.
But today, today is the day I've been waiting for! It's The Big Game's On! Read-a-Thon! hosted by Jenn's Bookshelves. If you'd like to join in, check out Jenn's initial post about it. My plan for the day, is to start as soon as possible, even though the actual kick-off of the Super Bowl isn't for a while. I have lots of housekeeping to do today, but in between loads of clothes, my plan is to get through this stack of children's books I have so that I can get some reviews scheduled. I have about 20 children's books that I need to get through and to get all of those read and notes made for reviews will be an accomplishment for the day. We went to the store last night and I got some Tostitos Scoops to enjoy with my hot sauce while I read. I've also got homemade banana bread when I need something sweet. I'll be drinking plenty of water, but I do have some diet Dr. Pepper for when I need a caffeine fix. My husband made some wonderful chicken soup last night, so if I'm really hungry, I can fix a bowl. I plan to have a very successful day and hope that you will join us by either reading or cheering on the readers. If you are on twitter, you can follow us with the #superbowlreadathon! hashtag. Happy Reading!!
