Random Tuesday (barely)

I'm late, but it's still Tuesday for 22 minutes, so I'm going to link up with Stacy for some random fun.

Well, I didn't watch the Superbowl, but I have an excuse.  I was at work.  The game was over about15 minutes after I got home.  I saw part of the half-time show in bits and pieces, but now YouTube has the full show.
 

I had heard it was good, but I had also heard it was not a "family" performance.  What did you think?

The baby shower on Saturday went well.  It was a co-ed shower, but most of the older men didn't really want to be there, but we did get them to do a few activities.  Much of their time was spent outside with the dos, though.  LOL

Some activities we used:  paint a bib or a onsie, guess the gender of the baby (although no one will know until it's born), The Price is Right, Baby Trivia, Guess the number of M&Ms in the baby bottle, and Late Night Diaper Messages.  Oh, and gifts, of course.  And food.  It was fun, and I think the couple enjoyed it as well.

The daddy-to-be's mom.

I really have to get serious about the upcoming wedding in November.  We have 91/2 months to secure a reception video, wedding gown, bridesmaids and groomsman attire, mother-of-the-bride attire, florist, photographer, and caterer.  Hopefully the caterer and the cake will be part of the venue.  They have secured the date and the ceremony space, so we've had a little progress.

I'm getting ready to leave for a long scrapbooking weekend, Thursday through Sunday, and I can't wait!  First, I have to work a shift tomorrow, then leave the next day.  It's been too long.  I wish we could do 2 or 3 a year.  We started our annual trip (my sister and I) the year my father died.  It brings us closer.

And now...

I love puns!

Sad, but true!

Huge cake fail!

Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis

D Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sue Grafton did a pretty good job on this fourth book in the alphabet series. I'm a little OCD about reading series in order, so, although these books have been out for years, I've only recently picked them up.

The protagonist is Kinsey Milhone, a private investigator who lives alone in a garage apartment. She runs her own PI business. Kinsey is visited by a man who has recently been released from prison who has an odd request to locate the son of his victims and give him a cashier's check worth tens of thousands. Daggett had been serving time for a conviction for killing a car load of people when he was drunk. He was a generally unlikable guy. Where did he get the money for this? And why doesn't he just give it to the survivor himself?

That's not even the biggest mystery because someone wants Daggett dead. In fact, a lot of people want him dead. Who is the most likely perpetrator? It's not who you think it is, although who you think it is will change a number of times. Was it his so-called "wife," the one who he unlawfully married because he was already married? Or the survivors of his crime? Or his "friend" whose half-brother was actually one of the victims? Or someone completely different?  There is no shortage of suspects.

In the end, the mystery is solved, but I didn't like the way it ended. However, I admire Grafton for the type of ending she wrote. It was not the typical, "And they lived happily ever after." I actually liked this one better than the previous book in the series. Complex characters, an intriguing storyline, and a few twists make this book worth reading.

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Random Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!  Come link up with Stacy for some random nonsense!

So much is happening around my house lately!  One daughter giving birth soon.  Another daughter getting married later this year.  A son looking for a job.  And I have a four-day scrapbook retreat coming up.  And don't forget my part-time job!

My daughter and I went to the bridal show this past weekend.  It was so much fun!  The main thing that was accomplished is that she and her fiance' set a specific date.  We watched a fashion show to get an idea of what she does and doesn't like.  She is challenging herself to stay on a slim budget for her dress.  She's always been frugal.  They know which church they are getting married at.  We still have so much to do, but thankfully, still plenty of time to do it.

The baby shower is this weekend!  I have been making decorations.  I made a diaper cake and some centerpieces.  I still need to print some signs, make a banner, and get the activities ready.  It has been so much fun!  She is going to be induced in late February if it doesn't happen on its own before then.  I don't know the reasoning behind that, but at least we know when to take off work.  And we will all find out if it's a boy or girl when she gives birth.  It's almost like torture not knowing!

And now...

Corny, I know.

Right?  "They" are listening!  "They" are always listening!

Hahaha!

Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis

If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As sickening as this story is, it made for compelling reading. If You Tell is based on the true story of Shelly and Dave Knotek who abused their friends and children in unimaginable ways, although the abuse was instigated by Shelly. Dave just did what he was told to do when he was home. He was away a lot due to the nature of his job.

Shelly has three daughters, Nikki, Sami, and Tori. Dave is her second husband. They also take in Dave's nephew. Later still, they take in a friend, Kathy, and still later, another friend, Ron. Not everyone survives the ordeal with Shelly. At the hands of Shelly and Dave, and sometimes at the hands of their siblings as directed by their mother, the kids and houseguests endure horrible torture, degradation, humiliation, and pain.

I have to admit I got tired of the book because it just never ended. I'm amazed that Shelly was able to get away with her crimes as long as she did. I kept thinking, "Someone will speak up," but it took a catastrophic event to make that happen. I'm very interested in going back and reading some of the news sources on this case. It's just unreal. Olsen did a great job of describing things so that you can get images in mind as you read, but this may not be something you want to imagine.

If you enjoy the true crime genre, and you aren't easily sickened by descriptions of abuse, you will like this book.
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Sunday Synopsis

Everlost by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Neal Shusterman never fails to come up with clever plots and alternate worlds. This book takes you into the ALMOST afterlife. In other words, you haven't quite made it to the afterlife yet. Souls are stuck in a kind of limbo between life and heaven, but it's not purgatory. Some may stay there forever, but you find out later that some move on. In the meantime, Everlost can be a dangerous place.

Nick and Allie mysteriously arrive in Everlost. It's almost the same world they came from, but with all the places that no longer exist in the real world. Bands of lost children run wild, and if you stay in one place too long, you will be sucked into the earth. There is also the terrible "McGill" to stay away from. They find "Mary," the unofficial leader of the shadow world. Nick is happy to stay with her and her groups of lost souls, but Allie has more adventurous ideas and wants to learn the art of haunting and skinjacking.

Shusterman is always imaginative, clever, and creative. There were one or two things that were rather predictable, but overall, it was a unique adventure fantasy. Everlost is the first in the Skinjacker trilogy. I don't know if I will get to the rest, but they would be worth my time.

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