I’m connecting up once again with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer.
Sunday was another hot day. But I had to get out and mow since I’d put it off. So I did that, some laundry to where all my laundry was caught up! Except for mowing clothes, lol. Then I went to have lunch with my dad for father’s day with my stepmom and youngest sister. It was kind of a rough day, because I was sad to not be celebrating my stepdad, but I felt guilty for feeling sad since I still have my “real” dad. The lunch was all we did because my sister wanted to go work on painting in her new house again. So I was able to go do the activity my brother had planned at one of those TopGolf types of places, it is called T-Shotz, and spend time with my mom too. It was hot! I suck at that type of golf I guess, I tried. I’m so used to playing mini-golf that I just couldn’t do the big swing you need to do for the driving range.
Monday, still in the 90s! A slow day at school. Got some more done with weeding and rearranging. Got a call for an interview for an elementary library job. Only issue is if I were to get a job at this point, my district would want me to pay $3500 to get out of my contract. My mom said she’d give me the money when it was only $2000 back in May, and my dad has said he would split it with her at this point if I did get a job. Went out shopping for maybe something different to wear than what I wore to my last interview. Found something, but don’t know if I’ll end up wearing it.
Tuesday woke up to a text from my neighbor right before I’d set my alarm to go off for my sleeping in. I guess someone had smashed in the window of their truck last night. It’s crazy I didn’t hear anything as my bedroom is right next to their driveway. Can’t believe my dogs didn’t hear anything either! I actually put on makeup for this interview, like a full face of it, not just blush and eye shadow. It’s an elementary school, but it seems like such a great place to work. If for some reason it doesn’t work out, this will be the last job I apply for, at least for the coming school year. I’ll spend my time working on getting some things planned to try next school year with all the new teachers we’re getting. And then I’ll be more open to elementary positions in the future though.
When I got home from the interview and let my dogs out, there was a groundhog laying in the bunny’s normal spot on the other side of the small fence I have for my dogs. Of course even with it trying to lay as flat as it could, it was so big they saw it right way and ran over barking. One of my dogs got their nose through the fence and poked it. At that point it ran off. I think maybe it lives under the shed in my backyard. It was another hot day, but there was a really strong wind that made it not so bad in my opinion. I sat at home the rest of the day and got a TON of commenting on other blogs done. It clouded up in the evening, which I think helped cool it off too. My mom wanted to get out for dinner, so we went to a local fish restaurant called Lufti’s for dinner.
Wednesday we had off for Juneteenth. The night before the news had said a rainy morning, so I was looking forward to sleeping in again but with rain. Unfortunately it didn’t start really raining much till the time I was going to get up anyway. My mom and I went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in a town about 30 miles north of KC because she’s always wanted to try their tamales and they were always sold out when she and my stepdad would go for dinner. Well we got there about 11:45 am, and they were already out! It was still a nice lunch. We came back home and I took a nap, having to put my dogs in their cage because they wouldn’t just lay down with me. My mom then wanted me to go help her get some things set up at her little shop at the Painted Tree for a Ladies’ Night event on Thursday night. After that we stopped by my brother’s house to drop off the new bigger hooded towel my mom had made for my nephew.
Thursday was a mostly quiet day at school, but hot again. When I got home from work there was a nest of baby robins that had fallen out of a tree right outside my dog’s little fence. The rest of the night I just worried about the little birds. One didn’t seem to be able to move, two hopped off to the bushy area at the back of my yard, and a third one did soon after. Then when we came back out a little later, two of them were laying back with the one that wasn’t moving. It was a sad evening. And my dogs just couldn’t stay away from that part of the fence and it was a pain getting them to do their business. I had dinner with one of my friends from my Outlander tour last summer that was in KC visiting one of her daughters who had a baby earlier this year. Then I went home and packed to be ready to go to my mom’s Branson cabin on Friday after school.
Friday was a pretty quiet day at school, I got some more rearranging done in my library. I had dropped the dogs off at my friend’s house before work, so that after work when I got home, my mom picked me up and we drove down to her Branson house for the weekend. Before we got down she was pretty set that she was going to sell it. But once we were down here, she wasn’t as sure if she wanted to. So the weekend was going to be just one chance to spend time without my stepdad and see if she might want to keep it. Of course we also noticed there were like 5 more houses on sale that hadn’t been before, so it might not be time to sell. Walking in and seeing my stepdad’s jackets on the coat rack, and a few other things about the house were sad.
Saturday morning we got up and went to a charity breakfast at a local Masonic Lodge. Then we went to the outlet mall, I keep hoping the Vera Bradley outlet will get the Belle/Beauty and the Beast stuff, but they haven’t yet! And it’s still not on sale, so I’m not letting myself buy any yet! Then we came back to the house for the real estate agent my mom wanted to talk to. She is thinking now she might wait to sell it, since it isn’t a financial need to sell right away. We did some packing up of my stepdad’s things around the cabin. My mom and I got the golf cart out and she drove it around, which she had fun doing. We went to dinner at the last Mexican restaurant we went to with my stepdad and had the flaming margarita he liked in honor of him. Then we went back to the cabin and watched a movie.
Books Finished
The first two were e-galleys, both reviews posted this week. Third was the audiobook for the last Readalong of the WTZ series. My review was posted on Friday and today is our last chat about them! Last is the e-galley I finished before bed Saturday night and my review will be on Monday!
New Additions to My Library
ARCs:
None
Audiobooks:
Technically both are advance copies, but since I got the audio, I figured I’d go ahead and put it under this category! Started the first one as soon as I finished the last WTZ this past week. And I’ll start the second one when I’m done with it!
Bookish Stuff:
None
E-galleys:
So I had requested a physical ARC of the first one, but the publisher sent me a widget to the e-galley on Netgalley. I haven’t actually downloaded it, as I’m waiting to see if I will have time, so I don’t mess up my NG percentage! Second one was a tour at the beginning of July I volunteered to go ahead and try to read since they still needed so many spots filled on a tour. Since I’d read the author before I figured I’d give it a try. Although it is almost 400 pages, so fingers crossed I just get lots of reading time once summer school is out.
Free E-books:
All of these were free on Amazon. Now technically I already had the first one under a different title as a freebie, but I wanted to make sure I had the most updated version so got it again. I got a ton from a Stuff Your E-reader deal on Thursday, although several were free other days as well.
Technically this one wasn’t “free”. It came with my Kickstarter purchase for the 10 year anniversary of the Knitting in the City series by Penny Reid.
Physical Books:
None
What I’m Watching
Of course I finished the 3rd Bridgerton season and so had to try to watch everything else on Netflix I wanted for now so I can cancel. Remembered I still needed to finish the second season of Resident Alien, so started back watching that as well. Satureday night we watched a movie called No Way Up, that has jokingly been called Sharks on a Plane. It was okay. Interesting enough to keep our attention at least.
What’s Coming Up on My Blog Next Week
Both of these are e-galleys. One from the publisher and the other from the author’s review team. Should be getting to meet Ashley Poston in July though! I will also have my DNF Report and my L-L-L Reviews this week too since it is the last week of the month!
Final Thoughts
It’s the last week of June which means the last week of summer school, thank goodness! I also have the New Kids on the Block concert Tuesday night, and since I splurged and ran up my credit card to buy the meet and greet package this time, I will get to meet them finally! I actually took Monday off because I’m at my mom’s house in Branson this weekend helping her decide how she wants to sell it. So really only 3 more days of summer school because it ends on Thursday!
How was your week? What are you looking forward to this last week of June? I can’t wait to be done with summer school and have more time to go comment on other blogs like I want to!
Here’s a picture of the bunny that lays by my fence in the mornings and at night.
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You really do a lot with your Mom which is good for both of you. It will be exciting to have time totally off in July. I’m so sad WTZ is ending but glad I chose to read them. See you Later!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
We have a pretty close relationship. I think I’ve been doing more just to make sure she’s not alone, and that’s okay! It’s easier for me to do stuff with her than my brother with his two younger kids that are going all the time. She does a lot with them too! Can’t wait for the chat in a bit!
Yay for the last week of summer school!! Omg the flaming margarita looks so cool! I love a margarita 🤤 I hope you have a good last week of school and hopefully your interview went well! Though having to pay to get out of your contract is certainly a huge downside.
I don’t drink a ton, but sometimes like a fun specialty margarita. Only 3 days left for me, because my mom and I decided to go ahead and stay Sunday night in Branson, which was kind of the original plan, although I was thinking we might go back today and then I’d be at work. But I’d rather relax another day with her.
I love that you are getting so much time with your mom. That’s wonderful! Hopefully she can make a decision about the house. And yay for only a few more days of summer school!!
I think she’s going to keep the house for a bit and see if she’ll use it enough to keep paying for it as long as it doesn’t become a hassle or too much to pay for. I’m so ready to be done with summer school!
You guys are so active in this very hot weather! Mowing the lawn, painting the house, among other things. Hope things cool down this week so we can get things done in comfort. Have a good week.
Ugh, I have to mow the lawn unfortunately. As for the painting, that is not me, all my sister! I won’t do that. We have a heat warning here until Tuesday night,and I have a concert outside Tuesday night sadly.
Hooray for the last week of summer school! The students here are getting out of regular school at the end of this week. Have a wonderful week Lisa!
You guys go so late! But I wonder if you start later than we do? I’ll be back working 10 days before the teachers, which means the end of July!
It’s so nice your mom has you and your brother to support her after your step-dad passed! I hope your interview went well! That bunny is so darn cute. Poor robins! I hope they made it.
I’ll probably never know if the birds made it, but I keep hoping! The bunny is so cute, I always look for it and don’t let my dogs notice it if I can help it, lol. I’m glad I live close enough to spend time with my mom.
Sounds like a really busy week, and it’s nice that you spent so much time with your mom. I hope your last week of summer school goes smoothly! And I’m looking forward to your review of A Novel Love Story, that’s what I’m reading right now😁
I just posted my review today for A Novel Love Story. I hope you like it as much as I did! Only 3 days to go of summer school, I’m ready to be done and just have time to blog and relax, for a month at least, lol.
Sounds like you had some nice family time and got to enjoy each other’s company. We had off Wednesday and Thursday for state holidays, so we took Friday as vacation and had a 5-day weekend. I ended up painting and redoing the bathroom for 4 days which I had to do in stages because we don’t have central air since our house is 124 years old – we have window units’ downstairs and in the bedroom. So, I didn’t feel much like blogging afterwards as each day had a heat index of close to or over 100 degrees. You seem to have quite a bit of wildlife around your yard lately. We are battling feral cats, and the neighbor’s cat I suspect – 3 are black so who knows which is which. I don’t mind them, but I worry when the dogs rush out the back door, they see them and run before I can intervene, and I don’t want to them to get into a scuffle and anyone get hurt. Hope the job interview went well!
There are feral cats down by my mom’s cabin in Branson. We saw them last night, the kittens are so cute! Yeah, I am glad my dogs have a little area and the bunny can slip through little fence slats and get away from my dogs. It is so hot here too. Heat index is over 100 for us, and it’s supposed to last through Tuesday night at 8 pm. And of course I have an outdoor concert Tuesday night.
Father’s Days are tough without your dad (or step-dad). Yesterday was the anniversary of my dad’s passing. It’s been six years and I miss him so much. It’s good that your mom doesn’t feel pressured to make a decision about the cabin right away. She can take her time and decide what she wants to do. I hope the last interview went well!
I guess I am going to understand the posts I saw on Facebook more now that I’ve lost my stepdad. Little things hit, I’m guessing all the holidays are hard. Like last night my mom and I watched a scary movie at her cabin, and we’ve gone to do that just the two of us and my stepdad stayed home. Usually we’d call him after we watched the movie before we went to bed, and as soon as the movie was over, my first thought was to remind my mom to call him. 🙁
Sounds like a real wonderful week of family time! The older I get, the more important I realize it is to carve time out for that in my given weeks.. You just never know!
Keeping my fingers crossed for you to be hired into the new job you applied for! That would be pretty amazing to have that fresh start 🙂
I’ve always felt my family was a big part of my life. And I’m glad I can spend time with my mom now and live close enough for that! I am guessing at this point I’ll be doing the same job next year. Just hoping a few things I’d like to do can work out and I can figure out how to just relax and let things go.
Glad that you and your mom could spend time at the cabin and celebrate your step dad. Hopefully she gives the idea of selling some time and then decides. The new job sounds promising – when will you find out?
I actually found out today that I didn’t get the job. The call to let me know though was very nice, and gives me hope that maybe I would have a chance for another job next year.