The World According to Leslie

On January 1, 2018, I made a list of things I want to do this year. They aren't resolutions... they are goals I have for things I want/plan to do. You can check out my goal post here.  I am hoping to do a monthly update about my goals.  Goals Update---January Ice skating, roller skating, horseback riding---haven't done those yet.  When I do them, I hope someone will get lots of pictures for me to share.  There is a bowling tournament coming up in February...on my bday weekend. I'm hoping to get Tony to enter it with me. It's a mixed doubles tournament. I'm still building my blog, so I haven't looked at affiliates yet. I need to get my mile time better/more consistent, and I don't want to freeze at the 5K. So I haven't done it yet. 20 book goal.... I have read 1 ( The Book Thief ) and loved it.  I'm currently reading Life of Pi . I want to see both movies as well. We are planning to go to Pigeon Forge in March. We are hoping to go M...

As you all know, we are researching options for The Princess for school next year. I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing about it.  Right now, she's registered at the local public high school in the International Baccalaureate program. We have applied for the NC Virtual Academy, but we won't know for sure about it until the application date is here--April 21. IF they have to do a lottery, they won't do it until April 28th.  WOW!  That seems like so far away, but it's really not!! Anyways.....  We are also looking at homeschooling.  I have been doing my research. I've been looking at the NC requirements and laws online. I've been reading reviews and checking out all the different curricula available. (Maybe not ALL...there are tons out there!) Yesterday, I went "old school"!  I went to the public library to pick up a couple of books about homeschooling. I ended up, actually, going to both of the branches of the public library closes...

Happy Valentine's Day!  OR as the Princess informed me this morning.... "Happy Singles Awareness Day!!" Either way, I hope your day is happy!! Today is my last day to be 38 years old. At 2:45am tomorrow morning, I will be 39! I will be starting my final year of my 30s!  OH MY!  Where did the time go? This year has been interesting!  At home, I have been able to do more. I've cooked more (and everyone survived!)!! I've gotten outside more--and consequently sneezed more! I even coached the Princess's rec league softball team last Spring!  I've been happier, mostly! At church, I've been more active. I'm working in Children's church. I'm singing on the Praise Team (in rotation). :) I'm heading up VBS this year. (That will technically be when I'm 39,  but I've started plans already.) I'm helping head up the 500 stockings for families this year. (That will also be when I'm 39.... but still!) At work, I'...

Today is my final day of the writing challenge. I hope you have enjoyed it. Check out all the other days! Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Link up in the comments to share your Writing Challenge!  As always, I have a lot of goals for the new year. Some of which I can control. Others, I need help to reach. 1. Have a closer walk with God 2. Get a full time job 3. Build my crafty business 4. Build my travel business 5. Write a book 6. Build my blog 7. Get back in to the gym on a regular basis 8. Read a book every month (at least one!) 9. Spend more time with family 10. Keep my house cleaner 11. Pay off bills 12. Save money I could go on and on. We all could. Now....what are your goals for 2017? Link up in the comments!!

Today is Day #4 of the Writing Challenge. Check out Day #1 , Day #2 , and Day #3 . Then, join in!  It's fun writing about things!  Just be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments so I can come check it out! Today's Challenge: "What do you think about most?" To me, that's a loaded question. It depends on my mood. It depends on my plans. It just depends. Most of the time, I think about how I need a full time job. I want to get back into teaching. I apply for jobs, but I haven't gotten any of them. I think about my daughter's future. I think about all the things she can become, and the things that scare me about that!  I think about going back to school. I just don't know what I'd study. I've looked at the audition requirements for going back to school as a music major, but they TERRIFY me! It's been 20 years since I played on a regular basis.. I think about writing. I'm doing it more now. I love writing. I think...

If you are just joining in the writing challenge, check out Day #1 here and Day #2 here . Be sure to leave your comments or links to your writing challenge in the comments. Today's Challenge--"Pick up the book that is lying closest to you. Open it to page 23. Write down line #17." The book sitting closest to me is Hollow City  by Ransom Riggs. It is the second book in a series. The first book in the series is  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children .  Yes, it is now a movie. No! I have not seen the movie yet! The Princess read this first for school last year. I told her I would read the book so we could see the movie. (If it's still in theaters, maybe we can check it out over Thanksgiving break!) Page 23 Line 17 says: "massive wave, our boats turning nearly vertical beneath us. Emma" This line is during the part where the children are in a canoe-like boat during a storm.  I will not tell anything further.  No Spoiler Alerts from me!  S...

I have a writing assignment due today. It’s about my career. When it is posted online, I will let you know.     Today is “Favorite NFL Team” day at the Princess’s school.  I had to get her a shirt. It matches one that Tony got for Christmas. Now, they have two shirts that are exactly the same. They dress alike without even knowing it!  lol    I finished reading another book yesterday. If you get a chance, read The Invention of Hugo Cabret . It’s an easy read because much of the story is told in pictures, but it is a great story.    I’m so tired. I feel like I never get any sleep.   Last night we had 11 girls at Girl Scouts again. That STILL wasn’t everyone!   I’m supposed to go scrapbook tonight, but I’m sure I won’t make it. Tony has been getting home late all week. Then I’d have to leave early to get home to sleep so that I can have a 6am alarm tomorrow morning. (These double headers are killing me!)  BUT….no g...

As of Thursday, the Princess is on book #6 for the school year. As of Saturday, I am on book #4.   She is reading The Red Pyramid . I am reading Among the Hidden . I am mostly reading it to see if it is something I should let her read. It is only 150 pages, so I should be finished quickly. Then, I think I might go for The Hunger Games .   Any book suggestions for me? (I’m open to most anything!)

I’m so excited that it is Friday! Today, I can pay $1 to wear jeans to work. I really wish I had something PINK to wear. Then I would be totally appropriate. However, I think I might wear my navy blue and my jeans and my brown boots.   I’m on fluid pills now for all the fluid that my legs and ankles are holding. I don’t think they are working as well as the doc would like. So….she might have to play with it. I still can’t get my black boots on. If  I do, my ankles swell so much that I can’t get the boots off.   Last night, we had 11 girls at Girl Scouts. It was FABULOUS!  I hope they all come every week! That would make it GREAT for the activities that we need to do.  I just need to figure out what we are planning to do NEXT week.      This week has been very difficult. I have had a meeting EVERY night. Tonight I have to work the gate at the football game for work. I’ll probably leave at halftime.   Tomorrow is a double header...

Wow!  I have been reading a lot lately.   The princess has definitely been reading A LOT. Since should started, she has already read 3 1/2 books. (She was working on one when school started, so I told her she can’t count it.)   Her new school, which I’m loving by the way, has a reading challenge. Teachers are supposed to read 30 books in a year and students are to read 50. After each book, the students are to complete a little project about the book. Last night, the Princess did her project on the most recent book. All she had to do was put 10 items into a shoe box that represent important things from the book.   So far this year, she has read: Frendle (Andrew Clements) No Talking (Andrew Clements) [These two were actually in a book together called School Rules , but because they can be purchased separately, they count as two books.) Eight Keys (Suzanne LeFleur)   Currently reading: Savvy (Ingrid Law)—She only has about 1oo pages left...

Today, since we are giving new state tests (Common Exams/Measures of Student Learning) in NC, the English teachers at my school are all going to be in one room all day.  (That should be fun!)  We have to grade the tests.    YES!  You read that right!  The teachers are grading the state required tests!    Each test had multiple choice and a written part.  The MC is being sent off to be graded—that’s easy!  Each of the written responses is going to be read by at least TWO teachers today.  Then we will give them a grade.    Does anyone else see an issue here?  I grade differently that other teachers at MY school.  I know that teachers at other schools grade differently than we grade at our school.  So the test results (other than the MC) will be biased/skewed at each school…. or so I fear.    I guess we will see.  I hope that this works the way the state has planned, but we will s...

I know you guys are probably getting tired of hearing about my countdown.    I’m just so excited that the Princess is almost finished with this year at school.    So….today is THE LAST MONDAY for her (and me).  After Friday of this week, she can hang out, watch TV, play/read on her Kindle Fire, and relax……until August.   Of course, she LOVES to read, so we will see how many books she reads this summer.   I’m still trying to get some writing jobs for the summer. Just to make a little extra cash.  There are some that are for doing book reviews.  I would love to do those.     But….for now, I’m going to enjoy my last Monday.  Even though it’s pouring rain outside.

Tearing Down the Walls was excellent on Friday.  I just hope I get to be a part of it next year!  I'm looking forward to it.  (I would love to do a Fall and a Spring version!)  I don't know if the Principal would allow us to have 100 kids out of class twice in a year (meaning 200 total kids!!). Today, I have a guest speaker from a local college coming to the class.  The English department chair set up times.  I chose to have the presentation on Research (since that is what we are working on in class right now!)!! I am so excited!  If everything goes as planned, I will have an easy day!  The speaker will have 1/2 the class time.  We are going to read for 1/2 the class time.  That will be it!  I'm loving it! Now.... if the time change could have just been in the other direction, I would have loved it even more!!!

I love lazy Sunday afternoons.  I have not been able to have those for a while, since I was in school.  Most of my homework assignments were due on Sundays.  So for the last few months (Since December) I have had lazy Sunday afternoons.  It's nice to come home, eat lunch, and sit on the couch watching TV.  Sure I have a million boxes (maybe not THAT many) left to pack.  Sure I have 4-5 bags of clothes and stuff to list on eBay.  Sure I could have spent the afternoon writing, reading, or just hanging with the family. But, sometimes, a nice lazy Sunday afternoon is exactly what is needed.  I got that today.....  with a 2 hour nap to boot. :) I hope you have all had a great Sunday afternoon.

Today, I am waiting for the call from HR at my new job to call me to do paperwork. I have already arranged for daily after-school transportation for Chasity (beginning today). She already rides the bus in the mornings. I am hoping that I will get my paperwork completed soon and get into my classroom! I am excited! Over the weekend, I went through all the stuff that I have already. I filled up 3 notebooks with "random stuff"...grammar, vocab, short stories, novels, etc. I filled up one notebook with "Romeo and Juliet" stuff! Hopefully I can use some of it (I'm sure I will be able to) in my new classroom. I sat in the floor for a few hours working on getting my notebooks together. I couldn't stay focused because of the excitement! HOWEVER....today..... while I'm waiting on the call, I'm being productive. I have already read 50 pages. I have 88 left to read. Then the writing starts! I've been productive so far!

I am Southern by birth. Now that I am older, I am Southern by choice! Although, I wish for White Christmases every year, the truth is, they only come about once a generation here. If I'm lucky (well...blessed) enough to live to be in my 70s or 80s, I might get to see another one before I'm gone. But, wanting White Christmases is not enough of a reason to move North. I do like cooler weather. That isn't even a good enough reason. So I'll stay Southern by birth and by choice! :) Last night, my most favorite movie of all time based on my 2nd favorite book of all time came on! (My 1st favorite book is the Bible!) I watched almost all of Gone With the Wind last night. Now, before my friends (and readers) think I"m crazy.... NO! I do not condone slavery! (That is ONE reason I'm NOT proud of the South!!) However, I love the characters, the rich scenery, the literary devices, and the story in that book! I fell in love with Rhett Butler when I was a Freshman in...

NO...this is NOT a sponsored post. Although, I wish it were! :) Anyways.... I have loved the Magic Treehouse Series since I read one of them about 7 years ago. I have wanted Chasity to read them since she started reading. However, she's not a "take a suggestion" type reader. So, I had to wait for her to discover them for herself! She did! She loves them!! So...she has read a few of them already. What she doesn't know is that I went on eBay and ordered a LOT of like 14 of them for her. They should be there this week or weekend. She's going to FLIP! :) I'm so excited when I can do things like this for her.

…my true love gave to me… my 7 favorite authors to meet. (I have not actually met any of these authors, but if I could, these would be the ones I want to meet first! Unfortunately, some of them are dead. ) 1. King David 2. Robert Frost 3. Mitch Albom 4. Margaret Mitchell 5. Nikki Giovanni 6. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins 7. All the Biblical Authors I know that I listed books already. However, my favorite books are not all by my favorite authors. lol So…it’s your turn. Who are your favorite authors? Until next time……..

So I'm going to try to do this.... I know that the song is supposed to start with the 1st day of Christmas. However, the best gift of the season actually comes on Christmas, so I thougth I'd start with the 12th day! So every day, I'm going to list the 12-1 (depending on the day) of my favorite of something. Let's see how it goes. (You can join in if you'd like!) On the 12th day of Christmas my True Love gave to me.... my 12 favorite books to read. 1. The Bible 2. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom) 3. For One More Day (Mitch Albom) 4. Gone with the Wind (Mitchell) 5. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) 6. A Separate Peace (Knowles) 7. The Left Behind Series (LaHaye/Jenkins) 8. The Notebook (Sparks) 9. Walk to Remember (Sparks) 10. Bronx Masquerade (Nikki Grimes) 11. One Stick Song (Sherman Alexie) 12. Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day (Viorst) If you want to join in, leave a comment with a link to your blog post! Until next time..........

*Deep Breath In* So I have sort of gotten things back in line. I'm caught up on my homework for my UNCC online class. I am almost caught up on my homework for my RCCC online class. I am desperately trying to catch up on my homework for my UNCC face-to-face class. I have to finish the book I started (was supposed to read for last week) and I have to read the book that was assigned for this week. Then next week, I have two books assigned. I haven't looked at those yet, so I'm hoping they are short books! However, today Chasity has baseball practice, so I might get some reading done there....while she's practicing! It's kind of nice to start catching up. I have less than 8 weeks left before I am DONE for the semester! I'm excited! Until next time........