It's not usually *this* bad (dh decided to reorganize cabinets before church and of course didn't have time to finish), but this is a close representation of our usual decor.

My nephew got married last year and their send off included sparklers but no actual fireworks.

Intrigued! I like clothes. What's your favorite brand?

Travel (we try to take a christmas trip and then our 25th anniversary is next year, so somewhere next summer) Home upgrades (refinish hardwood floors, bathroom and kitchen upgrades, swimming pool liner, and hopefully eventually the addition of a front porch)

I plan to make some turnip green soup tomorrow. It's really good with cornbread. Conecuh smoked sausage 1 can of large seasoned turnip greens 1 can of Rotel tomatoes 2 cans of black eyed peas (drained and rinsed) 1 can or so of chicken broth

I read at night in bed, sometimes at breakfast, and sometimes at lunch at work (I am a librarian ). I almost always have an audiobook going, too, and I spend much more time listening than actually reading myself. I listen while I'm getting ready, doing chores, walking, and driving.

I have Blundstones and find them comfortable. I have chunky ankles so the top of the boot is a teensy bit tight on me, but not enough to deter me from wearing them frequently. I also fine them hard to take off, but again, not enough to be a deterrent.

"As I move into my hag era"--can't say why I love this so much, but I do!

I get my youngest a Lego calendar every year. My 13 yo boy isn't as into Legos, though, and I'd like to get him something he'd enjoy that is similar (small gift or activity daily Dec 1-25). He likes video games, tennis, soccer, fantasy football, reading, playing the drums, and socializing. Bonus points for ideas for advent calendars for college aged young women. Triple bonus points for links!

Not cuddly, but my 10 yo has a fancy leopard gecko that he adores.

I just finished The River We Remember, William Kent Krueger's latest novel. I enjoyed this one as much as his other two I've read.

My number one pick is Owl Babies by Waddell. Other top choices are Big Red Barn and just about anything by Boynton.

When "important" games are on is the best time to go shopping!

I finished The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown in audio sometime in the last couple of weeks. It's narrative nonfiction and compellingly told, despite the "harrowing" subject matter. I did not love the narrator but adapted to his voice well enough to finish it. I'd recommend it for history buffs who have the emotional fortitude for a tale of physical and psychological extremity.

Maybe check to see if your library has one. Ours does. That's a great way to try one out before purchasing.

Love it! 🤣

The phrase "athletic beetle" in response to my 10 yo describing the beetle that got away from the pet gecko using that very descriptive phrase 🤣

I used an Audible credit! I use all the library apps I have access to AND I still have an audible acct, so I usually have a bank of credits.

Just finished the audio of Jill Duggar's new book Counting the Cost. It's not an enjoyable read, but it is well done and feels very genuine. Jill's reading of her own story heightens all this, of course.

We did pay that price (& actually bought a pass so we could go back the next day--it's often almost as cheap to do that with our size family). I hadn't heard of any of the controversies at the time and enjoyed the museum immensely. Because so much else in DC is free, we didn't blink at the price on this vacation. ETA: Would I go now that I know all this? It would cause me angst, but on a trip I probably would. We also paid for some of us to visit the Spy Museum on that same trip and have been to many other paid "museums," so paying doesn't bother me. I also don't necessarily have a hard time teasing apart for-profit (& therefore intentionally over-dramatized, etc.) with legit stuff, and we were on vacation, after all.

Just used an Audible credit on it. Thanks for the reminder! Now--the question--do I finish the book I'm currently listening to or do I stop and listen to this one? (I think I know the answer to this. . .)

My eighth grader has a mixture of things. Written work is graded for completion so I try to look at it and make the 13 yo take time and care to do it right. Teacher also assigns IXLs which have to be done to a certain percentage. As a former math teacher, I understand but am also frustrated by the scenario. (I was frustrated as a teacher, too, which is the main reason I no longer am one.)

This Alabama girl says the L. I say it more like the word WALL with a k on the end. (Yes to the pp who said we southerners like to stretch out words as long as we can. Ha!)

Just finished Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See. It's a solid 4 🌟read for me. I enjoy historical fiction a lot, especially when it's set in a time or place unfamiliar to me. This one is set in China in roughly the 1400s, with women's health and medicine as its major theme. I need to go back and read See's backlist since the only other novel by her I've read is Island of the Sea Women, which I LOVED.

I just finished the audiobook of The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius. I thoroughly enjoyed this translated book. 4.5 🌟.