Happy Weekend! {an apology & an update}

Forgive me, bloggy friends -- I've been a bad blogger this week and haven't been posting as regularly as I always do.

I even missed yesterday's fill in the blank fun at Lauren's blog. For shame. (You can find my answers at the bottom of this post. Better late than never!)

Plus my cat ran away from me in Petville because I neglected to feed her for two whole days. (Gasp!)

It's just that my bed has been so cozy and the book I am reading has been so good, I haven't been able to tear myself away from either.

But no matter -- I am back, at least for now. What else have I been up to, you ask? Weeeell, in between the feverish reading and snuggling under the covers during rainstorms (is there anything better than napping during rainstorms? I think not), I got to hang out with some old friends I rarely get to see and enjoy some amazingly authentic Chinese food. I was also a responsible adult and put ALL of my income tax returns into my savings account (who are you, strange adult version of me???). Plus I've been sniffling uncontrollably due to allergies brought on by all the nefarious pollen suddenly hanging over Miami,  and oh, and I've been grading essays (what else is new).

Did I mention there are now only 7 weeks left in the school year? (Yes, that shriek of joy you just heard was me.)

Tonight I have a date with my lovely boyf. I think he's taking me to get some yogurt at this great new place that allows you to put such crazy toppings as gummy bears and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Clearly, the folks who own this fine establishment are good people. Expect pictures of yogurty goodness in a forthcoming blog post. In the meantime, enjoy this awesome article from The New York Times all about the volcanic ash currently swirling in the ether over Europe -- and how you might recognize it in a very familiar painting.

picture via we heart it

1.  The first thing I do in the morning is hit the snooze button at least once.

2.  Every night before bed  I  check my alarm, dock my iPhone in its charger, and talk to my boyf until I get sleepy.

3.  My favorite thing to do when I'm having a bad day is  crawl into bed with a good book and a cup of tea.

4.  Something that makes me cringe is  confrontation -- especially when it's leveled at me. There's nothing that makes me more uncomfortable than having someone yell at me.

5.  Social situations  make me nervous most of the time, but I'm okay so long as I know at least one other person there.

6.  I like to collect  anything Hello Kitty! I love that little cat, what can I say .

7.  Weekends are for renewing my body, mind, and spirit. Which includes lots and lots of sleep, but of course.

What are your plans for this weekend? Let me know in the comments! Whatever you do, I hope you have an awesome time! :-)

My First Favorite Book.

Do you remember your first favorite book? I still remember mine: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's about a little British girl growing up in India with her father who has a seemingly charmed life -- she goes to an exclusive school, has an adoring father, and is admired by all her friends and teachers. But when her father dies and she is left orphaned and at the mercy of her headmistress, her charmed life quickly takes a turn for the worse, and she must learn to rely on her inner strength and ingenuity to persevere.

I was so captivated by this book growing up, that I even remember rereading it from time to time, just to experience that feeling of being swept away by the story. I love the lessons it taught me as a little girl  -- the importance of friendship and family, of hope despite the odds, and of not taking your blessings for granted, because you never know how long they will remain yours.

This is the book cover my version had:

What was your first favorite book?

Happiness is... (and a giveaway winner!)

Happiness is...

surprise hugs

curling up under the blankets while it rains outside

doodling in the margins of pages

singing along to the radio

receiving a new magazine in the mail

reading in bed at night until I get sleepy

sharing a delicious dessert with a friend

 picture via we heart it

What is happiness to you?

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for -- the winner of this month's giveaway is...

Congrats, Jennie Smith! Please contact me via email ASAP so we can arrange shipping details. And if you are sad you didn't win, remember you can always order directly from jessicaNdesigns! She added some new designs to her store, so be sure to check it out. I think I'm going to order the sweethearts necklace... What are you thinking of getting?

Thanks to Jessica for graciously offering her Etsy store for this month's giveaway and also to everyone who participated! I'll be announcing my next giveaway in May, so stay tuned... :D

Lolcat of the Week

 see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I think it's so funny how cats seem to think they own everything they touch. Including your chair. ;)

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Week in Review

And just like that, another week has come and gone. Where does the time go, seriously? *shakes head*

This week was a good week, despite my initial reluctance to go back to work after a long, luxuriating spring break. It was good in large part because of my English III students, with whom I began reading our first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. If you've been following along with me on the blog, you know that I think this book is wonderful and I'm so, so happy that my students are starting to agree with me, too. I love seeing their eyes light up when we discuss the book, and this from students who are self-professed "nonreaders."

If I don't talk a lot about the other two groups of students I teach, SAT/ACT Verbal Prep and AP English Lang, it's because their needs are not as desperate as those of my English III students. These kids are desperate to pass the FCAT and be able to graduate next year, and they were placed in my class so that I can help them improve upon their reading comprehension skills. They are juniors, but many of them are reading far below their grade level. Which is why it's so rewarding as a teacher to see them connect with a book the way they've connected with The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

So that pretty much was my work week. Friday night, Ricky and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. He had chicken fried steak and I had catfish, which is very unlike me since I'm not that much into fish. But it was delicious, as were their biscuits and cornbread. Sometimes I think I would cheerfully murder for their biscuits and cornbread. (Just kidding. I think.) Other than their sinfully delicious food, I also quite like the decor of Cracker Barrel, especially their cool old advertisements hanging on the walls!

After gorging ourselves, we waddled back home and watched Pride & Prejudice -- his first time, my 3rd or so. He laughed and sighed at all the right parts, and when I cried like an ever-loving fool at the end (like I always do), he hugged me and told me he loved the movie. I knew there was a reason I picked him. ;)

On Saturday, I posted two book reviews on Examiner (I'm their Miami Books Examiner) after a long hiatus: The Hunger Games Series and Twilight the Graphic Novel: Volume One. I did some more research for my thesis and then lazed around the house a bit before Ricky came to get me so we could buy a gift for his cousin's baby shower. Then we drove up to this restaurant in Broward called Smokey Bones and had the BEST. BARBECUE. EVER. Seriously, Smokey Bones makes the most delicious pulled pork I've ever had.

All in all, it was a relaxing weekend. I enjoyed it muchly. (Hello, my name is Annie and I like to make up words.)

Well, I'd better go unplug myself so I can get ready. Today my boyf's cousin is celebrating her baby shower, and I sincerely hope this means I won't have to play those silly baby games. *shudder*

Here are some of my posts from this week that you may have missed:

It's giveaway time! {jessicaNdesigns}

Who are your five?

These are my five.

(Not So) Happy Friday!

{Review} "Twilight: The Graphic Novel (Volume 1)"

I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing Sunday! :-)

{Review} "Twilight: The Graphic Novel (Volume 1)"

While I am a big fan of the Twilight Saga on page, I felt the films left much to be desired. So when I found out a graphic novel adaptation was going to come out, I got excited, hoping it would do it justice. And when I first saw the cover, I got giddy, because of how beautiful it looked.

Beautiful, right? So I finally got my paws on the graphic novel last month and I just finished writing my review for two sites, Examiner and Bewitched Bookworms. Please read them and let me know what you think in the comments! Oh, and I'd be much obliged if you became a follower on the Bewitched Bookworms blog -- we only need 7 more to reach 100.

Have a wonderful Saturday! Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a custom designed necklace! I'll be selecting a winner on Tuesday. :-)

(Not So) Happy Friday!

When I first woke up today, I was so happy. It was Friday! The weekend was finally here! Hooray! And so forth. But then I got these really bad stomach cramps for some reason and that distracted me from all my hooray-ing. And the stomach pains were only a precursor of the bad day to come...

You see, reader, when I checked the news this morning, it was to learn that Florida passed SB6/HB7189 last night at 2:30 AM. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, this is the bill that wants to remove seniority and professional development from teachers in favor of basing half of our pay on student performance on standardized tests. I've already written about how I'm so against this bill. I think it is bad for students, bad for teachers, and may mean the end of public education in Florida as we know it today. Does our educational system in Florida need reform? Yes, I do believe it does. But we need change for the better, not the worse.

Okay, enough about that. *steps off soapbox* It's Friday, so it's time to take our mind off our troubles and focus on the wonderful weekend we have ahead of us! How about some fill in the blank fun to properly kick off our Friday? Lauren has given us TEN this week to make up for not posting one last week, and reader, I think these questions are the best she's ever written. 

Enjoy and click here if you want to play along!

1.  The strangest thing I've ever eaten was   alligator -- it tasted like chicken! (Doesn't everything taste like chicken when it's brand new to us, though? It's strange.) .

2.  My best friend is  also my boyfriend -- we were friends first and that didn't change when Love entered the room.

3.  If I could live in a different era it would be    the 1800's because I really feel like I'm from that time -- something about the dresses, the romantic sensibility of the time, just appeals to me so much. Oh, and I hate driving, so there's that, too! I'd rather ride a horse. ;) .

4.  I like  when people take me by surprise -- in a good way, of course.

5.  If you only know one thing about me it should be  that if you are my friend, I will be loyal to you forever, so long as you never betray me or do anything to damage our relationship. Once I'm your friend, I'm yours for life .

6.  My favorite book of all time is   The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. If you think the film is amazing, try reading the book! I'm writing my thesis on it. :) .

7.  The one beauty product I couldn't live without is   my foundation. I had super clear skin as a teenager, but now that I'm 31, I suddenly, inexplicably, have acne. Lancome foundation is my saving grace! Covers up all those ugly spots .

8.  Blogging is   a great stress reliever for me! I love writing about my days, my thoughts, what I'm feeling and hoping and dreaming. But the best part of blogging is reading your comments! Thanks for making blogging worthwhile, reader .

9.  If I could star in a movie with any actor/actress I would want to work with   Meryl Streep. I think she is the best actor of our generation, and she's just such an inspiration to me as a onetime wanna-be actor myself.

10.  One of the best feelings in the world is   waking up on a day when you have absolutely nothing planned at all -- it's like having the freedom of a big white page and knowing you can color it however you like .

 

picture via we heart it

So, my lovely bloggy readers, how are you planning to "color" your weekend? I've got a baby shower planned on Sunday, but tonight and tomorrow are wide open, which makes me very happy indeed. :D