Surprises pour moi

On my way out the door, some little elf had place a card with a bear on my favorite egg project to remind me of my special day.  I thought that was all, when viola, upon my return, hubbie made a double layer chocolate muffin of love (No penalty for chocolate, food of the goddesses).

Double layer muffin of love

Friday, I have a therapeutic massage scheduled at Body Mechanix in Clayton with Julie.  Unfortunately, I will have to miss Poet's meeting with all my besties, a violation of my New Year's Resolution.


Cubbie thought I would love this song.

"Asturias" by Isaac Albeniz



Cubbie gets Grillz

Cubbie get Grillz.




The Cubmeister got braces this week.  He did not believe me when I told him it would hurt, and still refuses to even take Advil.  On day one, I was able to persuade him to take one Advil so he could eat some spaghetti noodles.

Tomorrow we are going to the movies, and I wonder what he is going to snack on since popcorn will no longer be an option... for him.

Suggested Summer Reading List

NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

Created By: Christina Shepard, Media Director

Updated August 19, 2010

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders
Sittenfeld, Curtis. Prep
Buck, Pearl. The Good Earth
Covert, Sean. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart
Follet, Ken. Pillars of the Earth
Alcott, Lousia May. Little Women
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi
Sharon Draper. Tears of a Tiger
Walter Dean Myers. Bad Boy
King, Stephen. The Shining
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet
Poe, Edgar Allen. (Pick one)
Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows
Stoker, Bram. Dracula

College Bound Book List

NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

Created By: Christina Shepard, Media Director

Updated August 19, 2010

Below are listed just a few of classical literary works, many of which maybe optional or required reading in high school or college.

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart
Allende, Isabelle. House of Spirits
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451
Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress
Coetzee, J.M. Disgrace
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol
Doyle, Sir Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby
Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of Young Girl
Griffin, John Howard. Black Like Me
Hardy, Thomas. Pick one
Herbert, Frank. Dune
Hersey, John. Hiroshima
Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner
Kipling, Rudyard. Kim
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird
Machiavelli. The Prince
McCourt, Frank. Angela's Ashes
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried
Obama, Barack. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar
Salinger, J.D. Catcher in the Rye
Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club
Twain, Mark. Pick one
Walker. The Color of Purple
Waugh, Evelyn. Brideshead Revisited
White, Theodore H., The Once and Future King
Wiesel, Elie. Night

POETRY
Angelou, Maya.
Frost, Robert.
Hughes, Langston.

January Menu

This is my menu plan for home, not the shop.

Week of Jan. 3
Monday- Leftovers- choice of Chili and baguette, or Corned Beef and cabbage
Tuesday- Meatloaf mash potatoes, and peas
Wednesday- Italian wedding soup and focaccio
Thursday- Beef Stroganoff (use jasmine rice) and a green substance
Friday- Special dinner
Saturday- Stuffed chicken breast and corn
Sunday- Beef stew and biscuits
*DESSERT: Cheesecake

Week of Jan. 10
Monday- Pot Roast
Tuesday- Special dinner
Wednesday- Spaghetti
Thursday- Chicken Tetrazzini
Friday-Tilapia, good bread and a veg
Saturday- Special dinner
Sunday- Special dinner
*DESSERT- Brownies

Week of Jan. 17
Monday- chicken pot pie
Tuesday- Homemade pizza
Wednesday- Sloppy Joes and mac and cheese
Thursday- Pork chops, apple sauce and fried potatoes
Friday- Shrimp with angel hair and asparagus
Saturday-Lasagna
Sunday- Cornish hens in bacon and ??
*DESSERT-double layer cake

Week of Jan. 24
Monday- Fried chicken, biscuits
Tuesday-Stromboli
Wednesday- Turkey, Sweet potatoes and green salad
Thursday- Brats, and real potato salad
Friday-Crabbie cakes
Saturday- 16 Bean soup
Sunday- Slow cooker- beef BBQ, corn bread casserole

Week of Jan. 31
Monday-Jambalaya- Hank Jr. style

Raising a gentleman

Personally, I have not completed this task, as my young gentleman just entered high school. As a mother, this time of his life is when I am most dependent on the male influences in his life, rather a finishing school for men. How to raise a young man into a considerate young gentleman with good moral fiber?

Jacob performs the duty of Ring Bearer.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
•Being a good role model is paramount. {Always work on your own development as a parent.}
•Mentorship: I truly appreciate my husband who is quite literally a hero. Also, I appreciate the Boy Scouts for their contribution, as my young gentleman is surrounded by other aspiring young gentleman.
•Don’t just learn to be independent, learn to be dependable.
•Practice goal setting and carry your goals with you.


EDUCATION
•Getting the most out of your education. Invest in yourself or no one will invest in you.

Postcard from mom.

•Travel at every opportunity.
•Learn to play an instrument.
•Learn a foreign language.


WARDROBE
•Take good care of your shoes. This means buying good quality shoes and knowing how to polish, or wash your shoes.
•Learn how to build a wardrobe. Knowing where to shop is helpful, considering elements of quality will save you a fortune.
•Keeping care of your clothing is very important. Learn how to iron a shirt, a lost art.
•Having an item, like a watch, handed down from your grandfather is always a nice touch, but not mandatory.
•When the weather is bad, a gentleman will be the one wearing the appropriate hat and using an umbrella.


PHYSICAL FITNESS
•Every young gentleman should know how to ride a horse, how to hunt, and hold his own at archery.
•Display sportsmanship during competition.
•Every young man should play golf, but get lessons!
•Do not smoke. It once was considered gentlemanly, but not anymore. We need you alive!


ETIQUETTE
•Etiquette is not just for ladies, and without etiquette, a man is just a barbarian. Get a good used copy of Emily Post, or follow the golden rule: “Do unto others, as you would have done to you.”


RANDOM ADVICE FROM MOM:
•Honor your family name.
•Honor your wife or future wife, by not doing anything now that will hurt her later.
•Practice honesty and fairness.
•Attend the theatre.
•Support your favorite cause or charity.

CSR

Dreaming of Spring Break

Hubbie calls this my doll farm, instead of farmville.  I am creating outfits to wear for Spring Break, the next highlight of my life.  I realize we have several important holidays between now and then, but nothing as fabulous as the warm sun and Atlantic beach.

CSR