Show Your Loved One You Care

Ah, Valentine's Day is upon us.  A day for lovers.  A day to share your heart with the one you love.  Typically folks spend a good amount of money on flowers, candy, jewelry, fine dining, or a variety of other ways to show their love.  I decided to do something atypical this year.

I made my husband a home-made valentine.  I fashioned a heart-shaped booklet entitled "How do I LOVE THEE, let me count the ways..."  I proceeded to list what I loved about my man.  I got somewhat "mushy" to downright silly.  One example I listed was that I loved it that he baited my hook when we went fishing!

In addition to the booklet, I also baked some cookies today.  I enjoy baking, but typically don't keep too many sweets in the house.  It was fun to bake a special treat for my husband, and make the cookies heart-shaped to boot.

Whether you spend a small fortune on your sweetheart tomorrow, or keep Valentine's Day simple, show your loved one you care about them.

Reading Aloud is Fabulous!

Besides the opportunity to teach fourteen young minds everyday, I get the chance to READ ALOUD to a captive audience.  After our lunch period I pull out a book and read to my class for a fifteen minute time period every day.  I really enjoy those minutes.  They always seem to go by too quickly.

I know that teachers have been reading aloud to students for many years.  I can even remember some of the books that my teachers in elementary school read to me: Charlotte's Web, The Incredible Journey, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and  Mr. Popper's Penguins.  I haven't done any research or read any articles on the specific benefits of reading aloud, but I know that my class enjoys this time!  My fabulous fourteen always want to hear me read. 

I do know, however, that there are benefits.  I went to a children's literature conference last summer and an author (Will Hobbs) spoke to us about the merits of reading aloud.  He mentioned that reading aloud helps students' literacy and aids in their creativity.  Hobbs encouraged us as educators to read to our classes at all grade levels.  I took his words to heart and was happy that I had been reading to students in previous years as well.

I've been able to read a number of books to my students so far this year.  I have read There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sachar, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs, and I have just started Dark Life by Kat Falls.  The class is already coming up with suggestions for our next book.

The best part of my reading aloud time is when I stop reading and hear, "OHHHHH!!!  Keep reading.  You can't stop there!"  I inwardly and outwardly smile and tell the class to patiently wait until tomorrow. 

Bad Things Happen in Threes

I've often heard it said that "Bad Things Happen in Threes."  This can even include deaths, or so some say.  I hope that death won't be involved in this tale of woe!  My sad story involves the "joys" of owning a home.

A week ago on Saturday my furnace wasn't working properly.  Before my husband and I knew it, the temperature in our home was a nippy 60 degrees.  No matter what we tried the furnace just wouldn't stay going, and on a Minnesota winter's night, a furnace is needed.  We called our Center Point Home Service Plus Plan, and a furnace repairman came to our home at 11:00 PM and fixed it for us.  Needless to say, we were very thankful.  I was also thankful in that our bill was covered by the prepaying we have done for the plan.  One down two to go.

Last week I also thought I'd noticed something dripping in my bathroom, but I dismissed it.  I thought perhaps I had been hearing something else.  Am I hearing the furnace tick?  Am I hearing water from the ceiling?  Am I plainly going insane?  Then on Tuesday morning I called Dwane into the bathroom and said, "You have to listen to this."  Sure enough, Dwane heard it too.  There was water dripping from behind the shower wall.  I had stopped using the shower in my master bath sometime earlier due to water leaking into our closet.  Now obviously a problem existed, but did either of us want to deal with it then? NO.  Now something needed to be done.  Besides the dripping, I smelled mold in our closet.

When I got home from school and Dwane from work, we tore into our closet and did some demolition work.  To make a really long story short, while doing our demo, a finishing nail that had been driven through a plastic plumbing pipe was pulled free.  When I restored water to the house to see what/where it was dripping, we had Niagara Falls in the closet.  I heard Dwane yelling to turn off the water.  The source of the leak was not originally with the nail in the pipe, though.  We called a plumber and Niagara Falls was fixed.  I now have a bigger hole in my floor, and new valves on my shower as well.  My husband and I thought, "Okay, let's put the new valves on, when are we going to have this opportunity to see them again?"  I still have a closet that has gaping wounds, but I have a brother-in-law that is a carpenter.

Yesterday I was going about preparing for evening company.  I was doing dishes, baking, and doing any number of tasks that involve using water.  I commented to Dwane that the water seemed incredibly hot.  It was definitely hotter that usual.  He said, "That could be a sign that the heating element is going out in the hot water heater."   I just thought, "Oh great." 

I continued to go on with life as normal.  We continued to work, took showers, and ran the dishwasher.  Before I ran the dishwasher, though, I noticed the water didn't get very warm at all.  I just shrugged it off.  Our company arrived.  We had a great time and I didn't bother to think about the water heater whatsoever.  When Amy and Rocky left I did dishes.  I was getting them ready to load into the dishwasher.  (I generally rinse them a bit.)  The water was stone cold.  I then announced that "wonderful" fact to Dwane.  Once again we've placed a call to Center Point Home Service Plus.  Someone should be stopping in tomorrow before noon.  Hopefully by the time I get home from school we'll have hot water again.  If not, Dwane and I will need to purchase a new hot water heater.

Now earlier I mentioned something about this being a 'sad story.'  I'm an optimist and I know that all of these problems are just bumps in the road of home ownership and all will be well.  I'm blessed and thankful to own a home.  I know that there are many folks in our country who have lost their homes, so I won't complain.  When this is all over with I know Dwane and I will get a really good laugh out of it.  Heck, I've started laughing already.    

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King made me shiver!!

I've been a long-time fan of Stephen King's work.  When I saw his latest collection of short stories hit the shelf I had to have it!  I quickly devoured the book and loaned it to a friend.

I found myself hoping for stories that were really supernatural in nature, good escapes.  That wasn't the case.  I read two stories that could have been interpreted that way, and two that eerily seemed as if they could happen.  That is the the mark of a great storyteller, I think. 

True horrors can lie within each one of us.  How well do you know your spouse?  What really goes on at the friendly neighbor's house?  Is that perfect family so perfect?  What kind of darkness rages inside of you or me?

If you are a King fan I recommend this book, but there were times when I almost had to set the book aside and stop reading for a while.  Some of the subject matter is harsh, and Mr. King doesn't pull any punches.  If you have the nerve and care to take a peek into a darker world, then go ahead and brave a night that is, FULL DARK, NO STARS.

I got a new toy for Christmas!!!

I was able to purchase a NOOKColor for myself after Christmas.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading ebooks and getting to know the ins and outs of my new "toy."  I love being able to plug in my headphones, listen to Pandora internet radio, and read to my heart's content!

I've noticed that some of the free ebooks I've downloaded aren't the best, but then I think to myself, "Hey, it was a free book, short story, or novella."  Ebooks can be tricky too, in that one can easily get hooked on a particular series.  The first two are free and then one has to pay for the third installment and so on.  This is excellent marketing and worked for writers in ages past.  I'm reminded of the recent past as well when Stephen King published The Green Mile in installments.  Oh, well, I don't mind too much (yet) an ebook is significantly cheaper than a regular book.

The NOOKColor is also wi-fi ready.  I live in a home with a wireless router, so my main reading environment is "NOOKie" friendly.  I can sit in my recliner and browse the internet without having to sit at my computer.  Wow, the brave new world of eReaders!

Although I am enjoying this new chapter in my reading life, I still enjoy my hardback or softcover book in hand.  As my niece Emily (an avid reader) told me when I was showing off my new toy. 
"Lisa, nothing will ever replace a book."
I tend to agree.  However, I will gladly embrace both worlds.  I will reach out to the new world of technology with the eReader, and lovingly hold on to the book smelling wonderfully of ink and paper.

Stephen King's Under the Dome is quite a read!

After just renewing this book for the second time I finished it!  Yea!  When I first plucked this novel from the library shelves I was a bit apprehensive about finishing it, especially when it numbers 1074 pages (this includes the author's notes).  I am a "Constant Reader" as Stephen King likes to call his followers and that is what I was.  I did enjoy this book.

Mr. King is a master of writing many characters.  He could mention a minor character a couple of times, but yet he made that character memorable.  He/she became a person in my mind.  (At the beginning of the novel he wrote from the perspective of a woodchuck!  That was incredible!)  This book is set in a fictional Maine small town called Chester's Mill.  "The Mill" as one comes to know it has many interesting people/characters.

The horror of the story comes into play when the city is enclosed in a dome that is impenetrable and totally seals off the village from the rest of the country.  The town is run by a second selectman, Big Jim Rennie, who quickly becomes a dictator.  There are people in the town that are for and against Rennie.  The President has given control of the situation inside the dome to Colonel Dale Barbara.  Rennie handily frames Barbara for murders that he and his son, Junior, commit.  The hero, Barbara, and his friends have much to overcome. 

This is a novel that covers many common themes or raises questions: good vs. evil; Is there really a God?; What would happen if a group of people were left in a situation without a normal government?; What would aliens think of us?; How might aliens treat us?

At one point while reading this novel I thought to myself, "Wow, King has really gone over the deep end."  Well, after I finished maybe I've changed my mind.  He left us at the end of the book with a message of hope.  I liked that.  There is hope.       

Rick Riordan has done it again with THE LOST HERO!

Rick Riordan has done it again with The Lost Hero!  He's written another brilliant book that blends mythology with great characters and universal themes.  I first got hooked on this author's work when I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  From books 1-5 I couldn't get enough.  Then when The Red Pyramid was published I rushed out to buy it and read it.  Book one in the Kane Chronicles was excellent!  I learned a great deal about Egyptian mythology.  I'm currently reading the book to my 5th grade class.  They are really enjoying it!  I can't wait for the next installment in the Kane Chroncles!

My students can't wait for us to finish The Red Pyramid so we can start reading The Lost Hero aloud!  I will be more than happy to accommodate them.  The novel is a spin-off of the Percy Jackson series, but I appreciate the fact that I can share this book with kids who haven't read the previous series and they will still understand.

This novel introduces us to three new demigods, Piper, Leo, and Jason.  Jason is a rather mysterious figure.  He appears unexpectedly at Wilderness School with Piper and Leo.  Piper and Leo believe they've known Jason for months, but really it's a clever trick of the Mist.  Mist helps to keep the magical beings/creatures hidden from regular "mortals."  Evil wind spirits try to attack and kill the trio on a field trip.  Jason, Piper, and Leo, manage to survive the attack, are rescued, whisked off to Camp Half-Blood (a special training camp for demigods), and their adventures are a whirlwind from there.

Each of the young heroes has special powers.  Piper, Leo, and Jason find ways to use them as they deal with some nasty characters.  The demigods experience evil gods and godesses, giants and monsters, and some of the worst villains and villainesses known to the Underworld.

Jason has the added disadvantage of memory loss and finding his way without knowing anyone.  The themes of friendship and loyalty definitely shine out like polished bronze and gold.  Jason may feel alone quite  a bit of the time, but yet he isn't.  He has successfully bridged a gap between two different worlds.

I can't/don't want to say much more, because I don't want to give anything away.  This is a wonderful book, I can't sing its praises enough!  Oh, if only I had a muse to write like Riordan does.  I can't wait for the second book in this new series.  I'll be waiting!  Once my students read or listen to this book they will be hooked too.