Weekly Wrap-Up #201 – December 8th, 2024

I’m connecting up once again with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer.

I’m trying to update my little buttons for this using Canva, it’s so much easier than Ribbet was, but I didn’t really like the one from last week the way the dog was in it, so still playing around!

Sunday morning was my last morning to sleep in before back to work. I did still get up at 8 am and went to a local bakery my mom had been wanting to try when they moved a location up near us, we had breakfast there. Then I came home and blogged. The snow melted away a lot with the sunny day, even with the cold. I ran out to try to look for stuff for my Secret Santa at work, still at a loss, so just bought some candy. Came home to hang out with the dogs and relax before having to go back to work tomorrow.

Monday was a busy busy day in the library. I couldn’t get all I’d like to have gotten done, although if I’d had a clerk I could have. Oh well. I’ll be busy the next couple weeks because lots of teachers are reaching out now. Hoping I can get all the things done I want in the library as well, but yay for getting teachers to work with me. I also found out that our staff holiday party is this coming Friday, not the Friday before break in 3 weeks, so I’ve got to get all my gifts for my Secret Santa by Friday! And unfortunately I ordered one off Etsy that I don’t know if I’ll even get before then. And it’s not something that anyone else I know would want. Maybe I’ll just print a picture out to give him one day, and let him know it is coming! I also didn’t bring anything today because I was spacing it out over the next 3 weeks. Oops. My Secret Santa gave me socks. Which, cute with a doxie and xmas stuff, but I really don’t wear socks. But I always get them as gifts, and I get it, they’re easy gifts, especially when they have stuff like doxies on them. My mom and I went to dinner and then went looking for my Secret Santa gifts, but didn’t find anything really.

Tuesday was really cold again. The dogs woke me up 30 minutes before my alarm was going to go off. It was another busy day in the library. It was a block schedule day, so 4 longer classes instead of the 7 hour full schedule. I had a teacher come in 1st block for a research lesson. Then the AP came in and wanted to use the conference room to do make up tests for the students who had End of Course exams. The next block, or 3rd hour, one of the teachers I worked with before break just wanted to have her students come work in the library for more room, so they did that. The AP moved the make up tests out to the main area of the library 5th and 7th hour because someone else had the conference room for part of that time. And it looks like most of the rest of the week will be make up tests other than when we have speakers on Thursday. I also got to go do a quick research lesson for another teacher last block of the day. I had my mom go let my dogs out so I could run some final searches for my Secret Santa gifts. And I found a Legend of Zelda mug at GameStop, so now I’m set. I got Skittles from my Secret Santa today.

Wednesday was a little warmer. But also busy. Not so much because I was teaching, although I did do one class research lesson today. But because they had testing in the library and I got to help by calling some students down, as well as all the other stuff I deal with during the day. I had a ton of laminating to do and didn’t finish it all because I was close to the end of the roll and it was almost the end of the day. I knew I’d have to let it cool off before I could change the film, so will do that on Thursday morning. Came home and let the dogs out, then ran and did some errands like buy dog food and get a gift card for my department’s raffle basket at our staff holiday party Friday night. We were also having a potluck on Thursday, and so I made beer bread and Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic dip. My secret santa gave me a pretty candle. I have an idea who it might be based on the fact that it is there before I get to school in the morning, and the cute little tags make me think it might be someone whose wife makes things like that.

Thursday was another frigid morning, didn’t want to get up and go to work! But it was the potluck day, so brought my food in. Then I had a teacher wanting me to do a database/research lesson with her students 1st and 7th hour, and I had to go to her classroom because of a speaker in the library all day. But the lessons were quick and fun, and her students in those classes were so into their learning, it was wonderful going in to see them and work with them. I got started working on a new display for the library. It was my nephew’s birthday, and even though we’re actually doing a family party with gifts on Sunday night, he wanted to go to a local restaurant on his actual birthday, so we did that. I started a new e-galley, but am not sure if I’ll continue it. It’s not bad, but I’m thinking maybe I want to just move on and read my own holiday books I have sitting around instead. I got a Dr. Pepper from my Secret Santa today.

Friday was a calmer day for me in the library. I was able to get some things done. I got my holiday display up and I’m still thinking about putting some lights on it, but I think they went around the building and made teachers take them down, so don’t know if I can do that. I made some new stickers, some holiday ones and some for the movie Wicked. We had our staff holiday party after work, but it wasn’t at a place in the same area where school is. It was more in our downtown area, and it was a smaller place than normal. My secret santa revealed themselves and it was not who I thought! She gave me a cute little gnome with an AMC theater gift certificate on him.

Saturday I went to watch my nephew’s first basketball game in a new league. It was fun. He is pretty good for a 7 year old! I think he made over half of the baskets for his team! My brother said he had a goal of 2 baskets, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, and he exceeded all his goals! Then my mom and I always adopt one of the families at my school at Christmas who request assistance, and she and I went shopping from their list. After the first round of shopping we went to my stepdad’s grave and put up a little Christmas tree. Then we both went home to take care of our dogs, before going to dinner and then doing a few final shopping stops for the family. I came home after and watched movie on Amazon Prime I had kept putting off, and it was really good!

Books Finished

First was an e-galley and second was a very short audiobook I had hoped to finish for the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon. Third was an e-galley for the author’s review team, that I posted the review this past week. Fourth was another Gateway nominee audiobook. Another really good one! The review for the first one will be this coming week, the two audiobooks will probably be part of my December L-L-L Review post.

I also posted my Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon reviews in one single post on Monday. My November monthly wrap-up was on Monday, and I had a bunch of blitzes to post.

New Additions to My Library

ARCs:

None

Audiobooks:

None

Bookish Stuff:

I found another one of those Mini-Brand book balls and had to buy it since I haven’t seen any in forever! It was on clearance at Kohl’s.

E-galleys:

The first three were from my contact at Harper Collins, they are on Netgalley, so I’ll download each one as I finish reviewing another so I don’t mess up my percentage. The fourth one was from the publisher after I requested it on Edelweiss. All of them are for next year.

Free E-books:

All of these were free on Amazon.

Physical Books:

This was the other one I won from the author over on Instagram a week or two ago. Can’t wait to read it!

What I’m Watching

Since we had basically two Chiefs games the week of Thanksgiving, the next one is today, so will be watching it I’m sure. Of course there was a new episode of Outlander on Friday. And I watched Survivor and Ghosts. And I rewatched Outlander past seasons in between. And Saturday night I finally got around to watching The Idea of You, which I LOVED!

What’s Coming Up Next Week

First is a review I didn’t have an opening to post this past week once I was done. Then I had one review book that was planned for a review this week. But I just couldn’t get into it. So instead I decided to read some of the holiday books I didn’t get to during the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon, beginning with this Tara Sivec one. It’s review probably won’t be until my L-L-L post at the end of the month, unless I decide to post a review of it before Christmas.

I’ve also got a couple book blitzes scheduled, and I saw a post over on another blog I might do if I have time.

Final Thoughts

Don’t forget I added in a monthly wrap-up giveaway again because my read ARC pile was getting big again! It just started this past week. And as I’m going through and getting rid of books, I’m finding I will probably continue to do 2 winners as I pull out more ARCs from my shelves that I’m not going to keep.

How is December going for you so far? I’m on the countdown to winter break in two more weeks! I think I can make it!