Women of steel

Steel Magnolias (1988)

Robert Harling

79 pages

5/5 rating

I remember being a young girl and watching the movie based on this play with my momma. Even now I still love every character. Ouiser "Weezer" and Clairee, 60-something women with spunk and personality, Truvy, who was played by Dolly Parton, a beauty shop owner. There was also Annelle, Shelby, and M'Lynn.

Steel Magnolias is about six women of different ages who live in a small town called Chinquapin, Louisiana. They come together most Saturdays to get made up in Truvy's parlor and to share their lives with each other. I discovered the movie is heavily based on the play, which I really loved, just extended a bit more. The characters are smart, funny, witty, and so real. I lost track of time reading this play. I didn't want it to end.

Southern Haiku Contest

Maggie, the host of the Southern Reading Challenge at MaggieReads is hosting the 2nd of 5 contests to giveaway Hilary Jordan's Mudbound. I thought the first contest was hard, in which you had to name your homeplace. But no, contest #2 is much harder. You have to come up with a southern haiku. I think that's such a great haiku, though I doubt I can come up with one. Why don't you go to Maggie Reads and give it a try?

Name Your Homeplace Contest

Maggie over at MaggieReads is giving away an autographed copy of Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. To play, you have to look around your house and create the best name for it. Right now as I'm looking around, there are children's books on the floor along with some of the kids' pencils and artwork. The living couches are sporting the latest pencil marks, while the kids' bookcase is piled with books. If you listen closely you can hear a cartoon on in the background.

I was thinking about naming my home Kid Kingdom. There are five kids living here, ages 2, 4, 6, and 8 (twins), and they haven't left even one corner of this house for Mama or me. Which I don't mind. Living with so many kids is challenging but a whole lot of fun. Max and Ruby is tied with Scooby Doo for favorite cartoon, pink is the hottest colors for the girls, nap time is the most hated time (but my favorite), and going to Target is the best place in the world.

But then I started thinking about how Mama and I have arrived to where we are now, not just physically but emotionally. It took a lot of love, determination, prayer, and patience to get here. We've battled homelessness, poverty, single motherhood... The list is long. All that we've went through were lessons for us to learn how strong we are and what we can do. I'm glad for it all and to be where I'm at now. I went back to school and earned my high school diploma and now I'm in college, working toward my business and English degrees. I want to change the world with books, though exactly how I haven't figured out yet. I know how important school is, my relationship with my mom is the strongest it's ever been, and my kids worship their grandmother. So after thinking about everything from the past, the present and what I want the future to be, I decided to call my home Not quite what I was planning. A perfect name because to me I couldn't have planned it any better.

Southern Reading Challenge

Maggie at MaggieReads is throwing the Southern Reading Challenge. I can't wait, this will the my first one ever. The challenge runs from May 5 through August 15. The rules are you read at least three southern books by southern authors. Here's my list:

1. The Known World - Edward P. Jones

2. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

3. The Wednesday Letters - Jason F. Wright

Time has gone by so fast

It has been a minute since the last time I posted an entry. I've been so caught up in life: reading, going to school, and being a mom. All of that takes up so much time that I totally forgot that I even a blog. That is until today. Yesterday I joined Anovel challenge group on yahoo!groups. I had already decided to do the Summer Reading Challenge, Short Story Challenge, and also the Southern Reading Challenge. Since you have to have a blog for many of these challenges, then here I am.

For the Summer Reading Challenge, I'm going to read probably four books. The challenge begins June 1st and ends August 1st. My four books will be:
Dirt Music by Tim Winton
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
An Unfinished Life By Mark Spragg
The Convenant by Naomi Ragen
Extra Credit or Alternate: Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Children of Men by P.D. James
These are the books that I have been wanting to read for the longest time and haven't gotten a chance to. I've heard such great reviews about all four books. My alternates are there just in case I can't get into a book. I'm a believer in the 50-page rule. If by page 50 the book isn't keeping my interest, then I'm going to put it down.

The Southern Reading Challenge starts June 1st to August 31st. The challenge is to read three books from Southern writers that are based in Southern settings. My three books will be:
To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
A curtain of Green by Eudora Welty


I know I'm going to be busy for a couple of months!!