Summa, summa, summa-time…

Being on the cusp of summer time, it seems like a grand time to bring back the Rainy Day in May summer book club! {woo hoo, applause, yeah!!!!} 
If you were around last year, you probably remember that we had an EPIC summer reading. Each of the three selections (May-June, June-July and July-August) were very noteworthy and memorable because each of those three darn books were HORRIBLE. 
So yeah, this summer i did MUCH better research. 
Here’s how it works… 
On the last Monday of every month, I will announce a new book, and that Friday we’ll kick off reading it. 
Then, we read the book. 
we can discuss it, throughout the month, either here or on FB/Twitter, or via email. Or in person, if you have local friends reading with you. It’s pretty simple really. 
I usually do a post specifically about the book we read (and to discuss it) the third week of the month. 
On that note, here’s our May-June book: 
Rooftops of Tehran, by Mahbod Seraji
Here is the Amazon link, and what Goodreads readers are saying… 
So, please join us- I’d love to hear what YOU think! 
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Five…

Me
– Pedicure with my youngest.
– Read a couple of books, for me.
– Get a facial.
– Work on my happy book.
– the Dark Shadows opening day!
– Swimming/water.
Us
– Cinco De Mayo family dinner.
– celebrate Chw’s birthday.
– our first camping trip of the summer.
– Drive in movies.
– plant flowers.
– Farmer’s markets.
– finish school {!!!!}

Heart
– writing. writing. writing.
– water front journaling.
– good, quality friend time.
– hugs and snuggles.
– be kind.
– be grateful.
– spread kindness and gratitude. 
Create
– Gen’s 13 year old photos.
– Sew a valance.
– build (possibly) an outdoor pop up kitchen.
– a new photo series. 
Home
– dinner table talking.
– new recipes and treats made with love.
– movies and popcorn on comfy sofas.
– jokes, laughter and board games.
– creative projects, together.

Health
– drink water.
– be in water.
– walk.
– massage.
– skin care. 
Love
– date night out.
– date nights in.
– talking and kissing.
– twilight walks, and holding hands. 

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rainydayinalmostmay…

So yeah, it’s been a ROUGH while at our house… What better than a bullet post to count the highlights? 
– I started having these completely debilitating cluster migraines. It seems to have subsided now, which professionals oddly call “the remission period”, which freaks me out a bit more than the clustery ice-pick-stabbing head spasms do. 
– Yes, I did read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I did like them. Sorry if that’s offensive, as it has apparently been to some. 
– In relation to the last point, I would like to point out that as a result my husband and I had a “hard limits/soft limits” discussion- and I listed my #1 hard limit to be his family. Oh. Yes. I. Did. 
– I also went and saw Blue Like Jazz, which was amazing. I think the hype it has gotten from the Sherwood pastor is EXACTLY what is wrong with the Christian church mentality, and why so many people are turned off by the idea of Christianity or being a Christian, or believing that Christians can be cool people who understand things and could be potential friends. 
– Judgement is ridiculous. 
– Genny had a raging 104 fever for two days, ended up being thrown out of one urgent care clinic (no, I’m not kidding. Cuz apparently that’s what the medical industry deems appropriate for kids with delusions and raging fevers.) and was diagnosed with Strep/Scarlet fever at another. 
– Her throat never hurt. 
– In the second ER, she sat crying in my lap begging for my hand to be against her forehead. Her head was so hot that it literally HURT to keep my palm there, and there was a red welt on my palm (which felt very much like a burn) which stayed for 3 days and still burns occasionally. Have NEVER had that happen and still it seems absurd. 
– Our beautiful Amanda graduated from Basic Training on Thursday. We couldn’t be there due to the expensive of silly things like attorneys, court fees, etc. It killed me to miss it for reasons I’ll some day talk about… It hurt us all I think. Genny the most, as she feels like she’s ruining everything… Which she isn’t. It sucks to be her, these days. 
– that being said, we are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of Amanda, and will not miss her AIT graduation in San Antonio! Somehow we’ll be there. 
– I am at the end of my rope with homeschool. It just isn’t a great fit for us. But schooling at an actual school isn’t a great fit for Gen. Next step? We’ve applied at an online school and will find out if we get in within the next couple of weeks I guess. 
– Finally got the nearly $1000 bill for my husband to get those three stitches in his leg that day he accidentally stabbed himself. I just don’t understand the medical industry at all… Until then, living in actual fear over what the scarlet fever one will be… 
– I bought my husband tickets for he and a friend to go to this ridiculous MARVEL movie Marathon this Thursday. He is so excited that last night he drempt he was the Hulk. 
– Tomorrow is May. Maybe it’s the spring all around us, (finally), or maybe it’s something else. All I know is, we’re almost done with school and I feel somewhat encouraged by life. Optimistic that we’re better for what this year has been like so far and good is yet to come… 
– My son deploys to Afghanistan soon. It was supposed to be tomorrow, but it’s now moved to Mother’s Day. 
– I got out of the house for a lovely lunch, with a girl friend, on Saturday. Got to also see a couple of movies. The Lucky One and The Five Year Engagement…  Being a BIG Segel, Blunt and Apatow fan i LOVED the second one. LOVED LOVED LOVED it… As for the first one, it was good. It was kind of an ill-timed film to see, for a mom whose kid is going off to war. I totally want to say “that aside, I loved it”, but I can’t really “that aside”. 
– While Gen was down with SF, and I was clustering here and there- i got completely sucked into the world of Downton Abbey. *SWOON* 
What’s going on with you????
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The Fault in our Stars…

This is a compensated review and the opinions in it are completely my own and not meant to be reflected upon Blogher… 
The Fault in our Stars is the latest Blogher book club book. It is authored by best selling YA author John Green. The story is written from the perspective of Hazel, sixteen years old and dealing with terminal cancer. While the rest of the reading world around me seemed already familiar with Green’s work, this book was my introduction into his writing and it was going up against a hard critic. First of all, I am difficult to convince that a man can write a girl’s personal narrative, but a terminally ill sixteen year old girl’s narration? I was pretty sure it wasn’t possible… 
Let me tell you, it is. Putting pen to paper is apparently something magical when in the hands of John Green. Again, I feel I am one of the last people on the planet to learn this fact- and for that I am both incredibly sad and truly grateful. Grateful because, of course, he has other books. 
Books, which I cannot wait to devour. 
The character of Hazel balances so eloquently between the normal thoughts and feelings of any sixteen year old girl, and what must be the honest thoughts of one dying so young. I can not say for sure, while I have been sixteen, I have never been at death’s door, but with every confessed thought of Hazel’s I felt myself imagining it would be exactly that same way. 
In a situation which feels suffocatingly sad and altogether hopeless, he manages to bring together a story full of raw love, pure adventure and some of the most honest writing I have read in quite some time. 
Moving. 
Magical. 
READ. THIS. BOOK… 
One really cool aspect of the book is that while the reader is falling in love with the character of Hazel, Hazel is obsessing over her own favorite book, ironically about a young girl with terminal cancer. The book changes and shapes her life in completely unpredictable ways, as I imagine The Fault in our Stars is sure to do.  There is a discussion over at the book club about books we love, and it would be great if you wanted to chime in. 
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The Diary of Mad Fat Girl…

No, this is not a post about me. 
Disappointed? Sorry… 
Rather, this is a bit of a review on the latest book for the Blogher Book ClubDiary of a Mad Fat Girl, by Stephanie McAfee. The opinions in this review are solely mine, as this is a compensated review, and they in no way reflect the views of Blogher. 
    Stephanie McAfee’s tale is part mystery and one hundred percent chic lit. With a story that is sometimes relatable, and occasionally completely ridiculous, she has woven a novel that did manage to hold my attention. I really enjoyed parts of this book. I honestly did laugh out loud more than once. The main character, Ace, is certainly rough around the edges, BUT considering her childhood experiences it was easy to understand why.

 The main storyline revolves around three women who work at a local southern high school and have been the best of friends since College. (two of them since middle school.) Stemming from their plots are issues of romance, betrayal, infidelity, domestic violence and about a bazillion crude and outlandish scenarios. The secondary plot would be that of the on-and-off again romance of Ace and Mason, sweethearts since middle school. Primarily though, it’s about an angry, snarky and insecure girl who acts (and speaks) before thinking, constantly, all while desperately attempting to protect herself from any and all heartbreak the world can give. 

 Overall I found the friendships in the book endearing. I loved the idea of friends from childhood still being tight today, in their 30’s. I loved the intimacy between them, and the unconditional love and acceptance/support. I wish that could have been more a focus over some of the events that take place. While it seemed like the goal of the story was that of an independent girl romance, I felt it weak on the side of romance. I didn’t ever really feel a genuineness between Ace and Mason. Honestly, i think I found the most believable and best written character to be Buster Loo, Ace’s chiweenie…
 
 That being said though, I could name twelve friends off the top of my head that would love this book, I just am not among them.  Also, on a sidenote, this is a pretty crass book. Some may not have an issue with that, but it isn’t normally my thing. I found it fairly abrasive and borderline offensive.{ Again, not my thing… Felt it worth the warning though. }

Regardless of whether I did or did not love the book though, is Stephanie’s publishing story. Any writer can’t help but love that! 

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