Saturday 9 and Be Good to Me day

Saturday 9: What's Cooking? brought to us by Crazy Sam


1. Which meal is the one you cook best?

My lasagna is pretty darn good and so is my chili!!

2. Tell us what you would never eat.

Liver, I hate it. My dad tried to make us eat it once when my brother and I were little. Luckily for us, my friend Lisa was spending the night. She started to cry when she saw what we were going to eat and my dad felt bad and said we could have Spaghetti-O's!!! Go Lisa!!!

3. Is your hometown famous for anything or anybody?

Sweet Corn Days!! The Nugent came once to it, I think. That's when he lived in Hanover-Horton, before he left Michigan for somewhere out west...traitor!!!

4. Can you play a musical instrument?

The flute. I played it from 6th grade to 11th grade then decided that I hated marching band!

5. Tell us about your second ever lover.

He was a Jarhead and that's all you need to know.

6. What is your favorite restaurant?

The Outback. I love the Alice Springs Chicken, the onion, the bread....and the Margarita's!!

7. If it were your call, how often would you make love?

Well, now that the kids are older and don't suck up most of my energy I could go for 4-5 times a week. But it doesn't happen.....that often anyway!

8. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?

Bono....and if he's busy then I would ask Kate Winslet to dinner.

9. Tell us about your job.

I love my job. I work in the library of my son's middle school!! What a perfect place for such a geeky bookworm. I have a small cult following so I feel special most days!!



Today was Be Good to Me Day!!

I have to live vicariously through a few bloggers who participate in Mailbox Monday. This is where they post what books they received in the mail by way of ARC's, mooches, trades, wins, orders etc. I'm pretty sure that I don't want to receive ARC's because I would never finish them on time, I do win a few books here and there, I haven't posted any titles in bookmooch, and I rarely order books any longer, but today I treated myself to not 1 but 3 (holy cow) books!! Can you believe it? Neither can I!!!

Confessions of a Shopaholic- I bought this one at Target for 5.99. My birthday is next month and I want to go see the movie...it looks fun and cute. And of course, I want to read this before I do. Also...I checked this out at the library and had it for 60 days and didn't crack it open....NOT ONCE. I'm very naughty...this way I have no due date looking at me!!
The copy I bought has the movie cover on it and it is more of a trade paperback. I don't care, I saved 8 dollars by buying this one!!






Revolutionary Road- I really, really want to see this movie. I love Kate Winslet and I've heard wonderful things about this book. Another great buy at Target for 5.99!!! My cover is from the movie and a smaller paperback. I love the larger paperback but saving 10 bucks is much better, especially when the same words are in each, right?






Love and Other Natural Disasters- I picked this one up at B&N, because my friend Mellymel at Lit*Chick is hosting a bookclub (and a book giveaway) and this is the book she choose for February. I had a gift card from Christmas, my member card-extra 10% off, and a 15% off coupon. How could I go wrong?

Friday Fill-in, Saturday 9 and another post about why I hate winter!

#107 Here we go!


1. Enough with the __below zero temps, snow, ice,___.

2. __Blogging or reading?___ causes me to be conflicted.

3. I've been craving __Mint Dark Chocolate 3 Musketeers___.

4. __My son always___ makes me laugh.

5. I wish I could go to ___a warm place__ next week.

6. __My parents___ has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _taking a nap (I did)____, tomorrow my plans include _grocery shopping, laundry, and correcting papers_ and Sunday, I want to _finish Edgar Sawtelle_!









Saturday 9: The First Apartment brought to us by Crazy Sam


1. Where had you moved from?

Home!!

2. Describe your first apartment.

It was the basement apartment in a big complex just east of Michigan State's campus.

3. How old were you when you had your apartment?

19!!

4. Did you have roommates? If yes, tell us more.

Yes, I shared the apartment with a fellow classmate from college. Her name was Claudia. We always had a great time together and we both liked having a neat place so we got along really well. I hate to admit it but I've lost touch with her over the years. I wonder what she's doing?

5. What was your place of employment then?

I worked at a shoe store called The Wild Pair. I worked my way up from a sales kid, to assistant manager and then finally a manager. I thought it was a fun job, except for the shoe fetish freaks who would stroke the 4 inch heels while looking at me....YUCK!! We had all the dancers from Dejavu come in every week to get their heels and thigh-high boots!! and yes even the 3 ugly ones came in....and boy were they ugly!!!

6. How were you finances at the time?

I thought I was doing all right because I had $ in the bank, $ in my pocket, $ for the bar, and gas in my car!!

7. Tell us about a lover who spent a night there.

He was a Marine that I met through a friend.

8. Tell us about a band you listen to then. (You can cheat. Look it up.)

This one is easy, Duran Duran, MC Hammer---can't touch this! Tone Loc, oh my god, I'm really dating myself!!! I will stop right now!!

9. How long did you live there and why did you move from there?

about a year. She wanted to move back to the Detroit area and I didn't want to have to find a new roomie so I moved to Jackson and stayed in the basement of my grandparent's house.



So, this morning I get up around 6:45, stumble out to the kitchen to make my coffee. No problem. Then I go to use the bathroom and flush the toilet and the water quits running!! No shit!! please, I say, please don't let the water be frozen out in the pump house!! I waited for a minute, turned the faucet on again...nothing. So I get my hubby's coat and snow boots on, grab my gloves, hair dryer, and flashlight. With my trusty dog by my side we made ort way out to the pump house. I noticed that the light we have on in there wasn't real close to this particular pipe that likes to freeze so I plugged in my hair dryer and let it run for about 5 minutes. I left the pump house and made my way into the house. As I was walking in the deep snow somehow my feet got ahead of me and I tumbled into the snow, loosing my boot and sock as I feel face first . My naked foot sunk into the snow!! I started to laugh and grabbed my sock and boot and put it back on immediately because the temp was 7 with a wind chill about -30!!! Made my way back into the house and turned on the faucet....WATER!!! I sang gloriously....Yeah!! then I made my way back out to the pump house to turn off the dryer and bring it back inside. As I was trying to close the door I kicked it with my boot and smashed the framing on it!! Good job Staci!! Then I stumbled my way back into the house. Boy did my coffee taste good after spending that time out in the cold wilderness!! After that I made a crock pot of chili, took a shower, and got ready to go into town to get groceries. I left the house around 10:30 and not one lazy butt was out of bed at this time! So I run into town to get my groceries and as I am coming out of Meijer what greets me? Yes, you guessed it.....snow, pelts of freezing rain, and winds about 100 mph!! Can I get a break....somewhere?

This is why winter sucks!!

Saturday 9 and I finished another book!!

Saturday 9: The Phone is For You

1. Your phone rings. Who is the most likely caller?

Some girl for our son!!! and if it isn't a girl then it is one of his buds. The phone never rings for the big people!!

2. How long to you chat on the phone each day?

Not a lot. Just to my hubs when he's working!!

3. Who do you speak to the most?

My husband is the one I talk to the most and runner-up would be my cousin Renee

4. Do you often not answer if a certain person comes up on your caller id?

I don't have caller id on the house phone but I've been known to let the answering machine pick it up. I do have that feature on my cell. I usually pick it up.
5. Do you phone friends at work?

Nope!

6. Do you make personal calls at work?

Very rarely and if I do I use my cell.

7. Who do you always say “I love you” at the end of the call?

My hubby!!

8. Do you use a landline or cell more often?

My cell, it just seems easier

9. Who in the blogosphere that you haven’t chatted with but would like to?

I'm not sure but I'm always looking to make new connections and friends via the blogosphere. It keeps life fun!



I almost always get up with my husband when he works days so after he left this morning I curled back up in bed with latest book and here are my thoughts.
Cross Country by James Patterson

From the inside jacket:
When the home of Alex Cross's longtime friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, he is devastated. The destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. As Alex and his girlfriend Brianna Stone begin the hunt for the villain responsible for the killings, they quickly find themselves entangeled in the deadly Nigerian underworld of Washington D.C.. What they discover is shocking: a strongly organized gang of teenage thugs headed by a powerful, diabolical man-The Tiger.
As the killing spree escalates, Alex and Brianna realize they are not dealing with any ordinary killer, but one who has brought his personal war of vengeance to America's capital. But just when the detectives think they're closing in on the elusive murderer, the Tiger disappears into thin air. Unable to let the killer get away with this narrow escape, Alex makes it his duty to bring the brutal butcher to justice. He knows that he must follow The Tiger. Alone.

When Alex arrives in Nigeria, he discovers a world where justice is as foreign as he is. Unprotected and alone in a strange country, bombarded on all sides by the murderous threats of The Tiger, Alex must draw on his fiercest instincts just to survive in a lawless world.



My Review:

Well, what can I possibly say about this book except that I've been in love with Alex Cross from the very first book I read ages ago. Saying that, whenever a new Cross book comes out I read it no matter what. I really like the short chapters. I don't read it for the amazing dialogue, complex story plot, or the top-notch writing. Yes, I'm being a little sarcastic here :). I read them because I am a passenger on Alex Cross's bus of life. I want to see where he goes, what he does, and if he will ever be happy with what he has. Another reason that I read these is because I'm always satisfied with the story, I don't set myself up for being disappointed, and I never have to invest more than a day or two reading them. So now I sit here eagerly awaiting the next Cross book because I have a feeling our old twisted buddy, Kyle, is coming back into the picture!!!

Saturday 9: Dying to Know

Saturday 9: Dying to Know

1. What do you believe happens when we die?

I would like to believe that we do actually go to heaven and are then reunited with our loved ones that have been waiting patiently for us to join the party.

2. Do you consider yourself religious?

I believe in God and in Jesus, have read the Bible through once, but I am really not much for organized religion.

3. Do you believe in ghosts?

YES!! I have a little child who inhabits our home. Our house is over 100 years old and it was originally a school house.

4. Do you believe that people live on other planets?

Um, no I guess I don't.

5. Have you ever seen something abnormal?

Sure, I work in a middle school!!! LOL!! I had to break up all this seriousness with a little joke!

6. Do you believe in reincarnation?

Personally for me....I think it could be real.

7. Have you ever witnessed a miracle?

Yes, right now, my friend Heather's cancer on her bones is shrinking and responding to treatment. This is her 2nd round going against Breast Cancer.

8. Is there a person living or dead that influences your philosophies?

I was never really introduced to any sort of religion when I was growing up and now that I'm an adult I'm learning as I go. I would have to say that my friend Tracy has a certain amount of influence on my philosophies.

9. Is there a work of fiction that closely matches your spiritual beliefs?

I can't think of one right at this moment. If I do I will have to come back and readdress this question.

Whew, that was a pretty intense Saturday 9!! I may have to come back to this post and edit some of my answers because I never really thought these issues in depth until just now.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Crazy Sam's Last Meme of 2008

1. What was the best thing that happened to you personally in 2008?

All my tests came back negative for a lot of different problems that are in my family tree!! Stress is the reason why I've been feeling so crappy.

2. What was the worst thing that happened to you personally in 2008?

My health going downhill due to my inability to control the stress in my life!! Also finding out that the hearing loss in my right ear is permanent!!

3. What was the best thing to happen to all of us in 2008?

Barack Obama!! I'm excited. Can't wait to see if things will be run differently and how our children's future will be impacted by his policies. One that I would like to see changed is the No Child Left Behind....working in a school I can see first-hand the negative impact it has had on our teachers, administrators, and most importantly our children!!

4. What was the worst thing to happen to all of us in 2008?

Wall Street greed, 700 billion money to AIG and all those creeps!! How about giving the average American the money? We would've paid off our debts, houses, cars, and hell, we might have even started buying things!! Go figure...

5. What was the best gift you received during the ’08 holidays?

One of my friends gave me a really pretty sweater. She's a sweetheart!

6. What was the best gift (most appropriate or best received) you gave during the ’08 holidays?

I surprised my hubby and got him a BeadRider seat for his BMW motorcycle!! Now he can ride for hours and not suffer from monkeybutt!!

7. Do you have any regrets about what you did in 2008?

Too many and too personal to list here!!

8. Do you have any regrets about what you didn’t do in 2008?

I wanted to really clean out my house and try to simplify. Be more organized at home. I didn't exercise like I wanted to.

9. Did you meet anyone that became important to you in 2008?

I didn't meet anyone face to face but since I've been more serious about blogging I've gotten to know a lot of different people and enjoy reading what they do in their lives.

Saturday 9 and the snow has finally stopped!!

Saturday 9: Holiday Cheer

1. Does the holiday season stress you out? If yes, how do you cope? At times I let the holiday stress me out but its nothing that 3 or 4 beers, or a whole bottle of Boonesfarm can't handle!! :)

2. Are you ever so busy in December that you have to force yourself to chill? I work as a librarian in a middle school so I get 2 weeks off every December. That's when I chill!

3. Do you sleep well at this time of year? Not too bad.

4. Have you ever taken a sleigh ride? No, I haven't but I think it would be great fun!!
If yes, tell us about it.

5. Do you live close to the parts of your family you spend the holidays with? Nope, they all live more than 3 hours away.

6. What will you have for Christmas dinner? Spiral ham, homemade mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, onion wraps, pie, and lots of wine!

7. Do you diet after the holidays? No, I just try to go back to eating in moderation.

8. What’s the best part of the season for you? When it is over!!!!! Too much commercialism has really ruined it for me. Thank goodness I didn't see that when I was a kid!

9. How many generations of your family get together during the holidays? Well, a long time ago it use to be at least 3 generations, now it is just 2.


Update on the weather here in Michigan.
It finally stopped snowing here in the Thumb!! Yeah, come to find out we got about 1 foot!! And of course it didn't help that it was blowing big time last night!! And in case you read yesterday's post, we were able to get out of our driveway, down our dirt road to the blacktop and make it with plenty of time to spare to the airport!!

Saturday 9 and a fun day with Marc

Saturday 9: 'Tis the Season






1. Do you enjoy receiving or giving presents more?

I love giving presents, especially when I think I've picked out the "perfect" one!!

2. What is you favorite holiday film?

It's A Wonderful Life
I watch it every Christmas eve.

3. Have you started or finished your gift shopping?

I've been shopping for a couple of weeks and am almost done!!

4. What does this time of year mean to you?

I wish that it still meant what it use to. Celebrating Baby Jesus' birthday, but it is a big commercial holiday!! We need to take it back from the retailers, scale back on our amount of gifts, and get back to the basics. Make kids really look forward to something special not just a HUGE amount of junk. Volunteer somewhere, give to your local charities, homemade gifts..that kind of stuff.

5. What is your favorite holiday song?

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (it's the only one I remember from beginning to end!)

6. What do you love about the holiday season?

The lights, the excitement, the good-will, and of course all the great food!!

7. What do you hate about the holiday season?

I answered that above in #4 plus I hate the mob of people and how shopping during this time brings out the rudeness in even the nicest Grandma!!

8. Do religious ceremonies play a part in your holiday traditions? If yes, how?

Not really

9. Who will you spend the holidays with?

My family: Matt, Mitch, and Marc.



So Marc and I decided to brave the crowds today and we ventured into town to do some shopping and to have lunch together. We ate first because I was starving! We decided on Red Lobster because for some weird reason Marc was wanting to eat there. We both had the shrimp scampi and lots of the cheese biscuits!! Yummy! We needed the fuel because the number of people out and about was mind-boggling. Now mind you, I was already in town early this morning doing some of the Christmas shopping for the kids. The crowds were not too terrible at that time. The only store that was packed was Bath & Body. I had a $10 coupon to use there but figured I would come back later to use it. So Marc and I put our body armor on and stormed the mall!! I dropped him off at Borders and I went to fight amongst the women for the sweet smelling lotions, bubble bath, and shower gels. Bath & Body was having a PHENOMENAL sale today and I'm all about the sales!! This was my Christmas present to myself and I walked away with a ton of goodies!! See below:

1 Warm Sugar Vanilla Bubble Bath $12.00
1 Warm Sugar Vanilla Body Lotion $10.50
1 Vanilla Noir Shower Gel FREE
1 Vanilla Noir Bubble Bath $12.00
1 Warm Amber Lotion FREE
1 Very soft, warm, and cozy Scarlett Robe 50% off I paid 19.75
1 Assorted gift pack of 5 lotions regular price 20.00 FREE

then of course I was able to apply my 10.00 off coupon to the total and I walked out of there paying only $46.91!!!!! The actual price for everything was $115.00!! I saved--$68.09 pretty impressive. I can't wait to show Matt what he got me for Christmas!!

I forgot that I finally bought myself a Twilight T-shirt!! I've got to be cool with the kids at school plus secretly, I really wanted one!! It says "Team Edward" on the back. I think I might buy the I run with Wolves one too because I can't make up my mind as to whose team I'm on!!
I ran into a couple of girls from school at Wal-mart and we're going to all wear our Twilight shirts on Friday. We're geeks and we like it that way!!

So from the mall we stopped at Hobby Lobby so I could get a snowman gift for my secret santa person. I just want everyone to know that I did not go anywhere near the scrapbooking stuff!! Aren't you proud of me? I am!! I've decided that a big purge is coming up in January!! I honestly can't wait to get rid of some of this "stuff." I haven't bought anything scrapbook related in months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ***loud applause inserted here**** After Hobby Lobby we made a quick run through Wal-Mart. When we went in the weather was just fine and when we came out we experience "Auntie Em!" wind and snow!!! Have I told you before how much I hate Michigan winters? Well I do!! They totally suck! All those old people that flock to Florida are smart and I want to be one of them. I could totally live it up down there right now. After Marc emptied the cart (he's a pretty considerate kid) we made our last and most important stop-----Barnes and Noble! We sat around, drank coffee (me only) and read for about 45 minutes then decided that we better head home.

Now I'm off to end this day with a hot, bubbly, wonderful smelling bubble bath, comfy p.j.'s and wrap up in my new soft robe that Matt, my wonderful husband, bought me for Christmas!!

Saturday 9 Meme

Saturday 9: How Do You Sleep




1. How long do you sleep each night? well, normally about 7-9 hours

2. Do you fall asleep easily? yes

3. Do you fall asleep at times not in your bed? almost always I fall asleep first on the couch

4. Do you listen to music or use “white noise” to sleep? no

5. Do you sleep through the night or get up a couple of times? right now I get up a couple of time to check the woodstove and to load it up if needed....gotta keep warm!!

6. Do you have trouble sleeping away from your own bed? sometimes

7. Do you need an alarm clock to get you up? not really but I still set it every night

8. Do you ever take medication to help you sleep? nope

9. Do you/have you slept with pets? my husband hates it but Bruce, my papillion/pom dog sleeps beside me every night.

Saturday 9: Just like a pill (I have no idea what that means)

I have become a little addicted to these crazy meme blogs. I find them to be fun and I plan on doing a few more. I want to do the photo ones which I'm sure that I will get to one of these days!!


The Saturday 9

1. What was the last pill you took? 3 Advils

2. What time of day do you usually feel most energized? morning

3. Who was the last person you hugged? My hubby

4. If you had a restaurant serve you a perfect breakfast, what would it be? french toast, bacon, scrambled eggs...wait that sounds like the "French Toast Slam" at Denny's!!

5. What did you do on Thursday? slaved away in the kitchen for 4 hours!!

6. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? I would have finished college

7. What is your favorite TV commercial at the moment? the baby doing the investment commercials

8. Who would you'd be surprised to wake up and find in your bed? in my dreams I've woke up many time thinking that I was Mrs. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice!!

9. Who is your favorite 80’s band? None other than the greatest band ever......DURAN DURAN