Squishmallows, Stove Burners, and 18-inch Lizards.....

 Last Friday, I bought a Squishmallow. I then spent the whole weekend trying to keep my Squishy to myself. My mom and Siblings are constantly trying to slip my Squishmallow away from me. I can't blame them though. Look at how cute it is!

Orin the Orange is its official name. I renamed it Sunshine Squishmallow aka Squishy. LB3 insists on calling it Plushy. He is also leading the charge in trying to take Squishy away. At least we are all on the same page when it comes to keeping it away from our dad. We know that if he sees it, it will become his and getting it back will be hard. We might as well just buy him his own. Maybe. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Also bought on Friday were two new stove burners that we needed. Only thing was, they were the wrong size and weren't for our stove. Undeterred, Mom bought another set on Sunday that match our stove and they came in on Monday while she returned the first set she bought. And they fit.......the burners that we aren't trying to replace. So, earlier today she searched and finally found the correct ones and proceeded to take four hours purchasing it online due to an incorrect zip code. She was about to give up when everything was finally sorted out. So, finger crossed everyone. I should give her some Squishy time so she can cheer up.

On Saturday evening, an 18-inch long lizard crawled out our upstairs bathroom sink and freaked my mother out. We'd taken the drain stopper out for some reason or another and forgotten to place it back. The lizard had a straight shot and took it. Mom was preparing to take a bath and got the fright of her life. She REALLY doesn't like lizards. Especially when they get cozy on her clean clothes that she placed on the counter. LB1 took care of said lizard.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Audiobooks that cost nothing!?!?!

 No, I am not taking about Audible. I am talking about LibriVox. When I began my book worm life, I began with books in the public domain because I was a broke teenager who wanted books more than I wanted to shop at the mall (yes, I know that dates me). I never made a MySpace or Facebook account because I was too busy learning when the PD cutoff was and finding new and exciting old books online that I could download. 

Old books are fascinating to me. Contemporary fiction of that time is now considered Historical fiction. It's like getting a peek into the psyche of the time and getting a glimpse of a world that has ceased to exist. Growing up with a History Buff Dad rubbed off on me and my love of old books and history are intertwined. I burned so many CDs full of PD books (I have no idea where they are now). My parents let me be as there are much worse hobbies a teenager could have and the sites I ventured to were safe.

I learned about LibriVox then. At the time, I paid no mind to it as I had no way to really enjoy it. But all that changed when I received my first mp3 player. I filled it full of my favorite Jane Austen novels from LibriVox and the rest is history. As a lover of old books, it made exploring new authors easier and fun. 

LibriVox is a non-commercial, non-profit and ad-free project that is volunteer run. Their mission is to bring the books in the public domain to the world in the form of audio books for free. You can download any audio book there for free. No limits. You are always welcome to donate but you are not obliged. Volunteers read the books for free and post them online. They are always putting up something new in a wide range of genres. I hope that you all can check them out.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Under the Mulberry Tree, We Grill......

 As I write, I am in front of our grill cooking sausages. I was told that I was grilling today as soon as I woke up. I don't think I ever stood a chance.I am covered in mosquito bites. 

Upside of grilling:

1. Get to enjoy the shade

2. Can lay in the grass later with LB7

3.FOOD, 'nough said

Downside of Grilling:

1. Mosquitoes

2. Smoke smell sticking to my body

3. Mosquitoes

As you can probably tell, I am having a tough time with the mosquitoes. I will be keeping this post brief as I am kind of busy right now. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

I dragged my mom into Kpop......no, I don't feel sorry

 Do you all remember my post from August 7th? I mentioned that I was excited about a singer I was fond of releasing a solo album. Well, I found out that one of the songs was produced by "Babyface" Nelson and remember my mom used to have a CD of his when I was little. So, I showed her Jaehyun's album trailer. She surprised me by wanting a copy of his album too.

Now, Jaehyun's solo album "J" is on repeat. I hope she doesn't wear it out for the kids. They will definitely blame me for this one. I currently got his album on repeat as well so if they thought I would stop her, that's a no go.

For those who are curious, I'll put the album trailer below. My mom's favorite song is "Can't get you out", the song Babyface produced.It has a very jazzy vibe. I don't have a favorite. I like them all.

I hope you enjoyed that. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Oops, Wrong Number

 As a teenager, I used to daydream about falling in love with someone who called the wrong number.  As an epic homebody, it would've been the perfect meet-cute. The thought of having long, deep conversations with someone who you met by accident and have no idea what he looks like? That fed my little romantic daydreamy soul. Until reality backhanded me across the face. The age of cell phones makes wrong numbers a more rare occasion than before. Plus, all the call were from some lady looking for Jack.<insert very big sigh> 

So yeah,  that daydream was a bust. But,my fellow book worms, never think I didn't live vicariously through a book. In the three books below, our main characters got to live out my dream (with varied results).

Becky Monson - The Accidental Text

Wrong number. Right guy?

Once upon a time, Maggie Cooper lived for adventure. Jumping out of planes was child’s play. Now she can’t even work up the nerve to ask out her coworker. For a bit of self-therapy, she begins to text her recently deceased mother’s phone—the only problem is that the number has been reassigned and for weeks she’s been unknowingly texting a stranger her deepest thoughts and feelings. There have also been some not-so-deep texts, like the ones about her appreciation for her coworker’s butt.

When Chase Beckett, the unsuspecting stranger who has more in common with Maggie than he’d like to admit, texts back, Maggie is beyond mortified. But message after message and night after night, Maggie realizes that Chase’s wit, charm, and advice are exactly what the doctor ordered. Is it enough, though, to get her back up in the sky? And what about her heart? Can she risk taking a leap of faith for the man on the other end of her accidental texts?

I adored this one. It is a clean read so you can feel safe reading it out loud to your grandmother, if you so choose. It did get me a little choked up here and there though. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Allie York - Recipe for Disaster

World’s best Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 Step 2: cream the butter and sugar until light Step 3: Add eggs one at a time Step 4: Forget you have a new phone in a new area code and call a random guy Step 5: Continue to text random guy until you develop not-so-random feelings....

Aimee’s life was stable, normal, and loving; until it wasn’t anymore. In the blink of an eye, she lost her childhood home, her best friend, and her sanity in one swoop. But a misdialed number brings her an unexpected friend and a lot of new feelings. Life is finally looking up and Aimee sets out to live life to the fullest with her newfound friend. That is until...Aimee’s text life and real life collide to ruin everything.

This one is a cute coming of age romance. It is also one you can feel safe reading in front of your mom. You will be craving muffins though..

Elle Casey - Wrong Number, Right Guy

When a mysterious text message summons May Wexler to a biker bar in downtown New Orleans, she knows something is very wrong. Her sister has sent out an SOS, but when May gets there, she’s nowhere to be found and May is the one in trouble—she’s wearing pink espadrilles, she’s got a Chihuahua in her purse, and she’s in the middle of a shootout.

After tall, muscular Ozzie comes to her rescue, May has no choice but to follow him to safety. At the headquarters of his private security firm, the Bourbon Street Boys, she finds a refuge for the night—and the offer of a job. But it’s not long before a gun-toting stalker isn’t the only complication in May’s life: the more time she spends with Ozzie, the less she can deny that they’ve got some serious chemistry. A wrong number got her into this mess…Will it also get her the right guy?  

Spice Level: 3 out of 5 🌶 

It is as spicy as a pot of gumbo.You might not want to read this one out loud. There are some very spicy, should-be-rated R moments. Other than that I found May delightful. While May's quirky off-beat character is highly relatable, all the trouble I ever landed in has only left me getting scolded (so thankful for that). 

So, I hope you all get to enjoy one (or all, no judgement) of these books. As always feel free to leave me a message below.

My wireless headphone journey (so far)

 Yeah, remember that post from a month ago. I really liked my Bluetooth headphones. I really did. Then the battery life started to plummet and before I knew it, it became a mini popcorn bag. I think the one I bought was a dud. Ihip is a brand that does put out reliable products. Life happens and Li-ion batteries can be finicky. 

As an example of how finicky they are, let me tell you that my cousin had her cell phone catch fire while charging. Those headphones just weren't meant to be. So, I went to Walgreens and bought a set of off-brand Wireless Bluetooth headphones. And for a whole day, I was happy. They worked beautifully. Then the charging case died. As in, it stopped charging the buds. At that point, it was starting to feel like a me problem. The sibs were annoyed by my moping. 

I went back the next day and got a refund. (Sidenote: Was mildly surprised that they didn't ask why I was returning the headphones. But that was just me).  I had originally bought off-brand as I was trying to be cheap. For the second time, I purchased from a brand that I am immensely familiar with. JVC Gumy headphones are pretty much the staple headphones of our house. They are super reliable and long-lasting. So, I decided to give their wireless Bluetooth headphones a try.

I got mine in white. So far, the range is great and I haven't had any problems. I am hoping they last long as my audio jack is well and truly gone. I am trying my best to not be too excited. I don't want to be disappointed again. Honestly, my mom seems more ecstatic than me. She took a bud and spent the whole charge listening to kpop with me as we worked. It was a fun bonding experience. She tested the range capabilities for me.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below. And if anything changes in the headphone department, I'll let you know.

When you're a fan, not a fangirl....... Or stan

 I may or may not have mentioned that I enjoy listening to KPop music. Just today, I found out that a member of a group I am fond of is putting out a solo album later this month. I am super excited because this member (who will remain nameless as I don't want to be teased) has a voice that I enjoy listening to. It's a smooth, rich tenor voice that is incredibly flexible. R&B, Pop, Rap, Funk, his voice manages to shine. Taking into account that he is singing in a group with 8 - 11 other people, the fact that I can easily spot his voice is part of the reason I am a fan.

Anyway, I was excited but suddenly found myself with no one to share that excitement with.  Every time I get excited about something, the sibs accuse me of being a Fangirl. I am most definitely not. I don't have the funds, energy, or wish to be more than what I am. A girl who gets excited when some one she knows does something noteworthy or new in their life. My walls have pictures of nature, not singers or actors. I am not about to fly to wherever it it is they're at and wait outside for hours to try and get an autograph. If you all want to do that, you can have my place. I'm rooting for you to stay safe and be successful! 

My mom even teases me about being a fangirl. I told her repeatedly what I've said earlier but I think she's ignoring me so she can have fun. It might be extended payback because I didn't give her the chance to have that epidural. Her teasing is annoying but at least I know she is joking. The kids seriously think I am a fangirl-type of person. Now, there was an time in my teen years when that may have almost applied to me but not any more. They should let up.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.