Book Review: Shug by Jenny Han

Shug by Jenny Han
Aladdin (10/23/07)
256 pages

• ISBN-10: 1416909435
• ISBN-13: 978-1416909439
• Audience: Grades 5-8
• Buy Here for $3.98

My Rating: 5/5

Summary from GoodReads: Shug is clever and brave and true (on the inside, anyway). And she's about to become your new best friend. 

Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug as her family calls her, is beginning to think there's nothing worse than being twelve. She's too tall, too freckled, and way too flat-chested. Shug is sure that there's not one good or amazing thing about her. And now she has to start junior high, where the friends she counts most dear aren't acting so dear anymore -- especially Mark, the boy she's known her whole life through. Life is growing up all around her, and all Shug wants is for things to be like they used to be. How is a person supposed to prepare for what happens tomorrow when there's just no figuring out today?


The Verdict: I remember when middle reader books were some of my favorite. And then I hit that age where I felt too old that it would be creepy or embarrassing for me to still peruse the children's wing of the bookstore or library. Now I feel like I have missed out on some really great wholesome books.


The cover of Shug is what drew me in. It looked like the light fun kind of story that that I love, so I picked it up. At first when I read that it was about a 12 year old girl, I thought I would have nothing to relate to this character but after pausing at Shug on a later visit to the library, I decided to check it out.


I am very glad I did. Shug is a wonderful story that perfectly sums up what being 12 is all about. That first crush, your changing body and personality, mean girls, and noticing your parents' flaws for the first time ever. And 7th grade. Have you seriously ever met a person who actually liked 7th grade? It was the worst!


And I think that's what I liked best about Shug, that the characters aren't flat or single-sided. No, they are complex and have underlying emotions and reasons for the way the act. The mean girl at school isn't inherently mean, she has her own insecurities. That boys go through just as confusing emotional changes as girls and that we won't always understand why our parents do what they do. You cannot hate any character in Shug. They might do things that drive you insane, but deep down you know each one of them has a part of them that makes you want to reach out and hug them and tell them that everything will be ok.


And that's exactly how life is. As we grow older, we notice the flaws in people more and more, and yet if we try hard enough we can also see the good in them just like when we were little kids and their were no bad people in the world.


So kudos to Jenny Han for crafting such a great first novel that is perfect for readers of any age.

{this moment}

SouleMama‘s {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week

Just Sit There & Look Pretty

A few weeks ago I decided to take part in a creative challenge hosted by Emma Tree called "just sit there and look pretty." The premise was to take that phrase and come up with your own interpretation of it in any visual or written medium.

As soon as I read those words, I knew I wanted to create a piece of artwork that spoke out against "being silenced" but I wasn't sure what approach to take. It wasn't until I started thinking about Banned Book Week that I had my theme...

Italian Sausage & Potato Roast

Here's how that Italian Sausage & Potato Roast I made a couple weeks ago turned out. It was delicious! :)

This is One Lovely Blog

I was pleasantly delighted to find a lovely award left for me the other day by Kenna at Our Crazy Little Life. She bestowed upon me this little cutie...

By accepting this award, here are the rules I have to follow:

1. Accept the award.

(Post it on your blog with the name of the person 

who has granted the award and his or her blog link.)

2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.

3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they’ve been chosen.

So I would like to pass this little badge of honor onto the following blogs (in no particular order):

1. I Still Hate Pickles

2. The Sparkle Project

3. Cozy.Cottage.Cute.

4. Sixty-Fifth Avenue

5. Candace Creations
6. Dinner Made Easy
7. Emma Tree
8. $5 Dinners
9. Mollusk
10. Filth Wizardry
11. June Cleaver Nirvana
12. Thrifty, Nifty and Wise
13. Traveling Tribe
14. Kody Keplinger
15. Phoebe North

Hope you all enjoy that random blending of lovely blogs ;)

5 Things I Want to Make

My Google Reader has really been crammed with all my starred diy projects I want to try so here is a list of my top favorites...

1. Olive Penguins

These are just so stinkin' adorable! I would love to make them for a party... to bad my olive allergy would prevent me from eating any :-/

2. Dining Room Hutch Makeover

Well actually I want to do this to the TV armoire my father-in-law gave us from when Luke was a little boy. Right now it's a medium wood stain but  it would look so amazing in this red. Can't wait to have a place with a yard where I can actually do intensive painting projects.

3. Transparent Boutique Soaps

What a great house-warming, hospitality thank you, or shower gift these would make!

4. Handkerchief Invitations

I always love a good fabric invitation and the fact that you can get about 20 of these babies on a yard of Spoonflower is totally awesome! I already plan to use these for any personal/cocktail party I want to throw and I am even working up a few samples to list in my Etsy shop.

5. Recycled Scrap Paper Notebooks

 

I used to make these all the time with old magazine pages and I figured out a simple stitch binding that was more durable. Really want to bust out some new versions though.

So there's some of my current diy aspirations. That's not even mention the sewing and refashioning projects I plan to do this fall. Stay tune for some recipe updates and how my punch art turned out :)

Menu Plan Monday - September 13th

Last Friday I mentioned our meal plan that overflowed into this week but I forgot one other dinner that I will be able to make with the ingredients I picked up last week and stuff we already have. That means NO GROCERY SHOPPING THIS WEEK! Score!


So on the menu this week we have:


Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and Peppers
Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Crockpot Lemon Herb Chicken
Italian Sausage and Potato Roast


Friday night we will probably go out because we are dying to see Catfish and hoping the Angelika will be playing it. Saturday we will be going to a Mexican theme cook out so I will be taking a pot of homemade Charro Beans. I'll try to remember to take photos so I can share the recipe with you all :) And let's be honest here, who cooks on Sundays?

{source}

I also picked up The Ultimate Shrimp Book for $2 at a yard sale on Friday so expect more shrimp dinners in the coming weeks. You just can't beat Walmart's 1lb bags for $5! :)

4 Dinners for $16.66

You read that right! Yesterday I was able to plan a 4 meal menu utilizing things already stocked in our pantry and freezer that meant I only needed to spend $14.70 on our next 4 dinners :) Couple that with the Restaurant.com $2 sale going on right now, we were able to get $50 dollars to two local restaurants for $4. Since they require you spend $35 on your order before the gift certificates, we will get by spending around $40 on dinners for 7 days.

Here's the breakdown...

Thursday:
Beef Linguini
1 lb 80/20 Ground Beef from Walmart for $2.88; Linguini already in pantry; Sauce already in pantry
Total $2.88

Friday:
Edohana
approx. $12 with gift certificate

Saturday:
Arboledas
approx. $12 with gift certificate

Sunday:
Left-over Pasta and Sandwiches

Monday:
Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and Peppers (personal adaptation of recipe)
Rigatoni for $1; Hot Italian Sausage from Walmart for $3.50 on sale; Onion for $.95; Bell Pepper for $.68 on sale; 2 Roma Tomatos for $.27; Garlic on hand; Olive Oil on hand
Total $6.40

Tuesday:
Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Bowtie Pasta for $1; Italian Cheese blend for $1.96; Frozen Broccoli Florets for $1.38; Garlic on hand; Chicken from the freezer; Olive Oil on hand
Total $4.24

Wednesday:
Crockpot Lemon Herb Chicken
Cream of Chicken for $1.08; Chicken from freezer; Lemon Herb seasoning from pantry; Rice from pantry
Total $1.08

So that's how we're swinging it this week :)

Get Your Craft On

A couple weeks ago I decided to jump on the swagbucks bandwagon and one of the high buck snatching offers I received from them was to sign up for Crafter's Choice. They are one of those book membership programs like DoubleDay but focus primarily on craft books.

I've always thought about joining one of these programs and when I saw the perks of Crafter's Choice and the fact that I would get enough swagbucks to get $10 towards Amazon to purchase The DUFF, I knew now was the time to go ahead and join.

The Verdict: Epic Win!

The principle of Crafter's Choice is that you receive 4 books of your choice at a $1 each plus shipping. Then you just have to buy 2 more books at membership prices within the next year. While not all of their books are priced as low as you could get on Amazon, in the long run you are saving a ton of money when you factor in the initial savings.

Of course, like with all of these style of clubs, they will try to pawn off other books to you on a monthly basis. But they have set up an easy website tool that let's you turn these down :)

So what did I decide to get?

Well for my initial purchase I chose...

{Mod Podge Rocks}

{BurdaStyle}

{Belle and Burger}

{Grouchland}

I also got a great big travel tote bag as a free gift. So I was able to get all of this for $15.71 once you factored in shipping. Compared to the minimum of $72.35 that would have been on Amazon that is a huge savings.

The other books I'm planning to pick up within the year are:

• Better Homes and Gardens® Budget Meals
• The Housewife's Handbook
• Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

which would come out to a total of $34.46 (since shipping is only $2.49 on orders over $25) and would fulfill my obligations of purchase. And compared to Amazon I'd be saving $17.80 just on those 3 books. That means in total I will have saved $74.44 by using Crafter's Choice to get my crafting fix!

Definitely a win to me ;)

Communication Idea: Friends & Family Monthly Update Email

"Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you  should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young."

- Mary Schmich

For a while now I have read the several times Sara from 2000 Dollar Wedding and Feed the Soil mentions her monthly Friends & Family Update email. She always raves about how it keeps her in great contact with old friends and how it has opened up the way for receiving great recommendations and suggestions when needed.


I have always been really bad about staying in touch with old friends and since I have moved and travels a lot, I have a lot of old friends. Especially now that we are married and are caught up in newlywed life, it can be very easy to forget to call or text someone, even my parents sometimes :-/


So I decided to take Sara's advice and send out a Monthly Friend & Family Update Email on or near the first of every month. September's debut edition was a hit and I am enjoying receiving the various feedback from different recipients. We filled the letter with a basic overview of what or past 3 months have been like and I hope to share more detailed anecdotes in future editions.


So far the recipient list consists of 85 people from various stages in our lives. If you feel you accidentally got overlooked or would like to be added to our monthly update email list, please send me an email so I'll have your email address :)

Follow Me Back Tuesday 9/7

Want to easily find great new blogs on a weekly basis and gain more followers? Then join Follow Me Back Tuesday hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat and Boobies, Babies & A Blog.

Once you join you can link up to one of their original Follow Me Back Tuesday posts. Each week they choose a random number from the blogs linked and add the random blog to the #5 spot to link to the following week.

This week's guest host for the #5 spot is Nicole from Mama to 3 (Now 4) Blessings.

How it Works

1. Follow the 5 hosts, #1 – 5,  ( leave them a comment & they will follow you back- only leave a comment if you follow please ).
2. Create a blog post about FMBT (you may copy this post if you wish).
3. Follow as many blogs as you would like (Leave a comment so they can follow you back).
4. When you receive a comment from a new follower return the favor & follow them back.

"My knowledge will bite her face off!"

So sorry but I just had to throw down that Community quote from "El Tigre."

 {source}

Why? Because you are looking at or well reading from a brand spanking new community teacher! :) I know I dropped a hint in my happy day post but here are the official details...

Starting October 1st, I will be working with the Balch Springs Visual and Performing Arts Alliance as a community art teacher. I am currently working with the BSAA on providing a multiple enrollment discount for all the classes and for opening up an arts program for younger students. If this is something that would spur you to enroll than please contact me so I can relay that to the powers that be :)

The classes are as follows if you would be interested in signing up for one of them...

Teacher's Bio: Sebrina Parker is a local designer and artisan with a lifetime of artistic endeavors under her belt. Her artistic training began at an early age and has included several years studying under New England artist Steve Previtt, an extensive course of art and photography classes in high school, and art programs at the New England Institute of Art in Boston and UrbanGlass in NYC. She went on to study Digital Media Design Technology at TSTC-Harlingen before pursuing a career in graphic design. She now works as a freelance designer and owns her own wedding design and photography firm, Mismikado Creations. In her spare time she maintains several popular blogs including her latest, www.mismikadodownthesidewalk.blogspot.com.

Intro to Art for Teens & Adults $200 15% discount when you and a friend sign up
An introduction of basic painting materials and techniques, color theory, and art movements through history. Students will complete 7 original paintings in 18 weeks based on De Stijl, Tessellation, Abstract-Expressionism, Post-Impressionism, Pop Art and Cubism.
Students will be required to bring their own materials according to a supply list provided by the teacher. They should anticipate spending $50 on supplies.
Note about supplies: It is allowed to share paints with a friend taking the class. You can actually get the supplies for much cheaper if you find the right sales!
With this class, you will also be taught how to sell your paintings online, and at “Art to Go”, a local business in Mesquite. You will also be able to participate in an art gallery show, with your work available for sale, at the Balch Springs Visual and Performing Arts Center.  You will also receive a Certificate of Completion, and recommendations from the teacher. This is a full course that will teach you much more than simply how to paint a picture!
Mondays from 6:30 - 8:30
Starts 10/4/2010
Ends 2/14/2010 (possibly 2-19-2010 for art showing) No class 11-22, 12-20 and 12-27.

Arts & Crafts for Homeschooled Kids 6-12  $40 per month
Each week, kids will learn an art or craft project that they will be able to complete within the hour time frame. This is a creative class geared towards the interests of the enrolled students. Students will be supplied with a material list each week for the upcoming project. Most materials can be found at a dollar store or around the house.
Tuesdays from 2-3
Starts 10/5/2010
Ends 10/26/2010

Basic Photography  $150 
A 15 week course where students will learn important photographic terms, basic camera features, and operation, and the important elements of composition. Students will be expected to complete 12 photo-taking assignments.
Students will be required to use their own camera which may be digital or 35mm and a basic point and shoot or SLR. They will also be responsible for bringing in their photographic prints each week.
A Certificate of Completion and teacher recommendations will be given to you upon completion of this course if you desire.
With this course, you will be taught how to make money from your photos. You will also be able to participate in an art show, to sell your photos, at the Balch Springs Visual and Performing Arts Center.
Wednesdays from 7-8pm
Starts 10/6/2010
Ends 2/2/2010  (No class 11-24, 12-22 and 12-29)

I hope to see some of you there! ;)

Pay It Forward

Here is a post I originally aired on the Aisle but decided I wanted to share with the audience over here too...

Have you ever had the chance to see the movie Pay it Forward starring Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, and Kevin Spacey?

{source}

It very impactful, heart-wrenching movie based on the principle that the actions of one person can start a chain event that can change the world.

{source}

It's a principle I've always admired, so when I read the post at How Joyful about applying this principle to the blogosphere I immediately wanted to join in on the action :)

The way it works is...

1. I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 people to comment.

2. I have 365 days in which to send you the gift.

3. The gift will be a total surprise.

4. You keep this going by posting Pay It Forward on your blog (obviously, you must have an active blog to participate).

To participate, just let me know when you plan to post the Pay it Forward on your blog.


Here's the chain that I'm descending from for as far back as I could trace :)
How Joyful
Kimberly Michelle
lilygrass
Sandy a la Mode
Happy Serendipity
Slipcover Your Life

Oh what a beautiful morning...

A beautiful week really :)

{source}

Sunday: while I'll admit the day started off with me glum and mopey it brightened up as Luke & I made plans to celebrate or 3 month anniversary :)

Monday: got caught up on office work, planed a yummy menu, and feeling positive about the week to come.

Tuesday: went on a job interview that resulted in me landing one of my dream jobs :) Found some great budget-friendly guest prizes for a shower I'm throwing. Made a yummy dinner and picked up favor supplies for the aforementioned shower at a third of the estimated price via craigslist. On the way home from which I spotted a car just like mine, and as Luke was making fun of me b/c I wanted to honk and wave, the other drive honked her horn and waved and that thoroughly made me smile. Received new coupons direct from the manufacturer (more on that later) and my paper punches.

Wednesday: began our monthly friends & family email update and received great feedback and was able to reconnect with some old friends I hadn't talked to in a while. Started the new service year with a bang, making a nice long 7hr day. Prepared for a study and felt confident in my planned approach to handle even though it got post-poned. Received my first craft book order from Crafter's Choice. And our wedding was featured as the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week! :D

As you can see, so far my week has been pretty great and I'm not planning on letting anything get me down for the rest of it :) Hope everyone else is having as good of a week too!