Little Bit of This and That

Join me at Emmy Mom for Friday Five.
This a weekly meme-EVERY FRIDAY! (#Friday5)  It's an easy way to end the week by sharing 5 thoughts and 5 pictures from the week.  This is the perfect way to share those things that don't necessarily need a whole post of their own.

1.  The temperature one day this week reached 81 degrees.  That's ridiculous!  I'm glad we're not having a blizzard, but January should not be so warm.  I think we tied a record for our area.  The lows have stayed about the same.  The next few days are going to be about 20 degrees cooler, and I'm thankful for that.

2.  I have added a prayer/quiet time to my Bible-reading time, and I am so glad.  It makes me feel so peaceful.

3.  My husband and I went to play one session of bingo last weekend.  We didn't win.  Big surprise!

4.  Looking forward to the Souper Bowl today.  Yes, I said Souper Bowl and today.  Where I work, one of our departments hosts the Souper Bowl the Friday before the Super Bowl.  They make some fantastic soups:  baked potato, chicken tortilla, chili, vegetable, broccoli cheddar, and so many more.  And another department brings ice cream and sundae fixings.  Fun!  I much prefer the Souper Bowl to the Super Bowl!  Will you be watching?

5.  There were new shows on last night that I wanted to see, and my DVR didn't record them.  Maybe I can get them "on demand."

My team!  And TJones is back!

I grew up in Humble where Humble Oil (Gasoline) was founded.  It later became Exxon.

I thought this was funny!

My mom and daughter at a performance we went to recently.

For my husband's birthday, my mother-in-law made a traditional English meal.  Roast beef, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, and vegetables.  It was a delicious feast!

Have a good weekend!

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Thursday Thirteen Expressions

Teaching English Language Learners is fun, but teaching them idiomatic expressions can be daunting!  Sometimes they see things so literally.  Here are some of my random thoughts right now.

1.  Where I live, we aren't having a blizzard, but this weekend, the forecasters say it will be raining cats and dogs.
2.  I try to get my husband to put the toilet seat down when he's finished, but a leopard can't change his spots.
3.  I wanted to buy a hair care product called Wen, but I know that a fool and his money are soon parted, so I read some reviews and decided against it.
4.  It's all Greek to me when my two Japanese students speak in their native language.
5.  And when my English speakers say, "libary" instead of "library," it drives me up a wall!
6.  I decided to spend more time in the Word this year, and I received a One Year Bible, so I realized it was time to get down to brass tacks.
7.  I decided to go the extra mile this week and go to the gym at least three times.  I've been twice this week so far.
8.  In my opinion, our government is going to hell in a handbasket... and quickly!
9.  My grandfather was long in the tooth; he lived to be 98 years old.  Not so lucky with my dad.  He passed at age 69.  I miss him so much.
10. We're going out on the town for my husband's birthday Friday.
11. We will definitely pig out at the Japanese steakhouse.
12. My son is a southpaw, and my daughter is my spitting image.
13. This has been fun!  Thanks for lending me your ear.

(Yes, I snuck in four idioms!)

Link up with Thursday Thirteen!

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Wordless Wednesday

Link up your photos to Wordless Wednesday.
No blizzard here in Texas!

This is my daughter's college campus (part of it, of course)

The backlight is poor, but there is a fountain in the background.

And this is a group of freshmen who are attending college at ACU (Abilene Christian University)

Happy Wednesday to you all!

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Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to consider writing about one or more of the following:

• I'm currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

Last week, I finished reading The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier.  As I mentioned before, this is not a book I would choose for myself, but it was my "book club read" for January.  I liked it!  It's part historical fiction and part mystery.  The main characters, Ella and Isabelle, live centuries apart but have an unmistakable bond.    A really good book makes you want to keep reading more and more, and  I wish there were a sequel for this one.

I'm currently reading The Governor's Wife by Mark Giminez.  I have enjoyed all of this author's other books, but one thing bothers me in this one:  The  author's lack of contractions. I don't know any Texan who would say,  "do not" instead of "don't" except under formal circumstances,  so, the writing doesn't feel right (Haha).  Giminez's books are set in Texas.  Most are legal thrillers, but this one is more political in nature.  The Governor's wife visits the colonias  to nurse sick people. These are areas between the Rio Grande River and the dividing fence where people live in squalor.  Her husband, the Governor, is considering a run for the Presidency, and I believe the cartels become involved somehow.  As you can see, I'm not very far into the book yet.

I'm going to read Hope to Die by James Patterson next.  He's my favorite author, and the Alex Cross series is my favorite.  I know that his family is being held by a psychopath, but I'm anxious to find out if he gets them back and how.

And I'm keeping up with my reading of The One Year Bible which makes me very happy!

What are you reading or blogging about this week?  Link up at Should be Reading!

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Five Thoughts - Five Photos

I'm linking up with Emmy Mom for Friday 5!

1.  I have had sinus infections (possibly bronchitis, possibly strep throat) since Christmas.  I have - whatever it is I have - for a week to ten days, get well for a couple of days to a week, and get sick again.  I went to the Dr. for the third time today.  She didn't test for strep because the treatment is the same for a sinus infection, so I am starting new medication.  I'm tired of not feeling well.  If I could only swallow without pain, I'd feel so much better.

2.  Group texts - I hate them.  I have two friends in particular that like to send group texts.  Some people don't know how to set their reply to send the reply just to the original sender, so it goes to everyone, including me.  I get texts from people I don't even know!  It irritates me!

3.  I want you to check out this new blogger, A New Paige is Here.  Go over and give her some encouragement.

4.  I'm disappointed that James Harden didn't get voted in as a starter in the All-Star game.  He will likely start anyway, since Kobe Bryant is injured, but he deserved to be in that spot to begin with.

5.  We had some mild weather for a couple of days, but now it's cold again, and very wet!  Tomorrow looks to be more of the same.  I don't mind the rain - except driving in it.  Otherwise, I like rain.

Beautiful sky on Saturday last weekend.

My mom and daughter when we went to see Diavalo a few weeks ago.

Being silly at the basketball game.  That's my face!

Flashback Friday  - the twins and my nephew when they were 7 and 12.

My beautiful Lacy!

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