If you've had a conversation with me lately, you've probably thought to yourself..."geez, could you stop talking about books already!" Man, I think that about myself too sometimes. But, I've got books on the brain!
I DID get a compliment from a teacher friend this week. Over lunch, I was naturally going on about this book and that... She asked, "You're getting your Masters in Library, right?" I gladly said, "yep." She then went on to compliment me in saying she could picture me doing that. "Sitting in my library with the kiddos huddled around listening to me read to them." I wasn't so sure I could really picture myself doing it, to tell you the truth. Thanks for the compliment TC!

But, Holy Cow! I can't wait for the day! I do love being in the classroom, with the exception of the "red tape".  Which is a totally different topic for another day. My dreams of being in a library, reading to kiddos and also reading the latest Bluebonnet list. It may sound lame to some of you...but, it sounds heavenly to me.

Which brings to me to a little bit more about my latest obsession about reading. I have been on this website called  goodreads.com. Here's my site: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6270217-leslie
This is an excellent site for me or anyone else to keep track of book the are reading, want to read, or have read. You can rate 'em, review 'em... and all that fancy shmancy stuff. All the cool librarians are doing it. Since I'm destined to be a librarian... well...I gotta hang with the cool ones!

Another feature goodreads has is a yearly reading goal you can set for yourself. I have absolutely NO clue how many books I have ever read in a year or what would be a good goal to set for myself. The cool librarians are throwing out numbers like 112 for the year 2012 or one person who set a goal of 601! Geez Louise! I know for a fact that I can't do that while teaching. So I set my goal at 75.  Averaged out, that's about 6.25 books a month. It's January and I have read 2 and half. We shall see how this works out taking my Masters classes and teaching. Sometimes I get in reading ruts and I have no desire to pick up or concentrate on a book. Usually this happens when I'm super busy. I also feel guilty about reading when I have papers to grade or Masters homework. It's a lofty goal, but we shall see, we shall see.

So what am I reading these days...

I am currently reading a book that was written by the brother of K-Love... (You remember K-Love from the cruise). I must say it is totally different reading a book by someone I know. It's a good different though.
Books that are set locally also peek my interest. This book does just that... St. Peter's Brewery is set in a small Texas town in an old church that has been converted into a local bar. Jimmy tells his story of finding friends and finding God in this local bar. So far...so good.

What have you been reading lately? Have you read a book by someone you know? Maybe your obsessed with something else lately? Leave me a note with your thoughts! I'd love to hear.

Su Casa es Mi Casa - Less the Mortgage Payment

No, I didn't get the title backward. I know it's normally pronounced Mi Casa es Su Casa. But, in this case el casa es NOT MINE! But, I'm so excited about it, that it FEELS like it's mine!
All this to say, my B.F.F. a.k.a. Kiki and her hubby bought a house! They are first time buyers and this house turned 100 years old in 2011! It's located in Forney, Texas and she's a beauty. I call her the mansion on the block. Well, cause she is! She dwarfs all the others like Dorothy and the Lolly Pop Kids.

I was so excited to get to work on this house! Maybe it was because the semester was over and painting had NOTHING whatsoever to do with Library Cataloging! Anyway, I was ready to get to business! The lovely couple to be have a month to get the place fixed up to be moved into within a month. This includes painting, refinishing hardwood floors upstairs, new kitchen counters, and whole mess of other little things.

Kiki's chore first and foremost was to get the outside looking not so grannyish. There were birdbaths, potted planters, gazing balls, and earless rabbit statues galore! This pic was taken at night and certainly doesn't do justice to the atrocity in the front lawn.

Also, the front porch had some not so darling curtains hung. Once those were down it was onto the painting the rooms that were to be moved into first; the upstairs bedrooms.

I went ahead and just threw all the pics on...

 Master Bath

Master Closet

Master bedroom

 We have ripped down the curtains and the remaining crystals hanging in the windows. (yeah... we thought the crystals were weird too) We also have painted over the green paneling with white, torn out the wallpaper, and painted the higher rectangles a turquoise/blue color and the bottom the same white as the paneling. Master bathroom will match the master bedroom.

Doorframe going into the master bedroom

Pretty sure the brown frame will soon be white. 

Kiki pulling up carpet in the Oval Office

Johnny's been working on the floors lately and they look Amazing! He rented a big sander and worked away! He finished with a dark finish. It's beautiful, unfortunately I don't have any pics of the finished product left. 

Oval office 

 Yes, I said Oval Office. I took it upon myself to name all the rooms. This room, they believe will be the office. I thought we'd give it a more prestigious name. After all, they are living in The White House that happens to be the mansion on the block. But, what do I know? I am thinking of all the oval things I could get as a housewarming gift for this little room...

Atrocious textured wallpaper in the Oval Office

We have since painted the walls white and left the grey paneling. It looks 100,000,000 times better. Thus, far making the Oval Office my favorite room!

Hall Bathroom

The room soon to be formally known as the blue room

Built in shelving is amazing...but...what were they thinking here!

Step up into the closet

More shelving in the closet

The Stairs

Kitchen

Blue Walls in the kitchen

Formal Dining

Butler's cabinet or built in china cabinet

"The Help" bathroom

Laundry room

Checking out the neighbors...

Living room

Personally, I love the paneling... which we know there is a special name for this paneling but, we don't know what it is. Kiki's opinion on it is... why have it in EVERY ROOM? I'm just the help... I just do what I'm told. =) 

Living room looking into the dining room

folding french doors going into the living room

front door

love the doorbell! 

Other side of the doorbell (bottom knob rings the bell)

looking into the entryway

So they closed on the house 2 days before Christmas. We were so excited we worked all Christmas weekend! Crazy I know. Me... I have no life...that's my excuse. Their excuse is... this was their Christmas present to themselves. Lame, but oh so fun! I was so eager to get started, Kiki thought for a minute that I was more excited than she was!

So, this old house has kept me busy on some of my days off. Can you see why I feel like this is my house? I can't wait to one day have an old house of my own to fix up.