Phototrace

Book Overload!!

2012-01-22T20:15:00.000-06:00

We're currently having a librarians reading challenge at work & just like every other year I went book bananas. I have 15 books checked out to read between now and March, that's not counting the ones that will come in on hold for me to read. Here they are:

Variant / Wells,Robison E.
Strange angels / St.Crow, Lili.
The girl in the steel corset / Cross, Kady,
The iron queen /Kagawa, Julie.
Tiger's curse /Houck, Colleen.
Nevermore / Creagh,Kelly.
Always a witch /MacCullough, Carolyn.
Glow / Ryan, AmyKathleen. Details
The landscape photography bible /Worobiec, Tony.
Cinder / Meyer,Marissa.
The best of me [sound recording] / Sparks, Nicholas.
Magic of the moonlight / Schreiber, Ellen
Wonderstruck : a novel in words and pictures / Selznick,Brian.
Beautiful days / Godbersen, Anna.
Every other day / Barnes, Jennifer

I'm cuckoo, I know it :) Go big or go home right?

Speaking of going big, my ankle is still killing me & I still can't drive. Dad's been amazing and taking me back and forth to work. Hopefully it heals quickly.

Fateful by Claudia Gray

2012-01-08T17:00:00.001-06:00

Fateful by Claudia Gray
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Pages: 328

Synopsis: In Fateful, eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, overbearing family she works for. Once the ship they’re sailing on reaches the United States, she’ll strike out on her own. Then she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets....

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves are real and they’re stalking him—and now Tess, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Featuring the opulent backdrop of the Titanic, Fateful’s publication is poised to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s doomed maiden voyage. It is sure to be a hit among Titanic buffs and fans of paranormal romance alike.

My Thoughts: I love how in the authors note section Claudia Gray says she made up some of the characters in order to be respectful to those who truly were on the Titanic and died when the ship sank. With that said, I loved this book and it's one of my favorites.

Tess and Alec's story is timeless and perfect. Tess is the kind of heroine you root for and hope for the best throughout the book. Even though a lot of reviews didn't like Tess for not standing up to the family she served, you need to realize that in the time this book was set you couldn't do that. Tess knew she had to keep a job or starve. She didn't like it anymore than we did however that was the life of most servants then. Tess is a strong female heroine and was courageous and brave when she needed to be in order to survive.

The villain was perfect in this book and made you want to kick him in the shins just like Tess did.

I loved Alec's character as much as I did Tess. You saw the toll that being a werewolf took on him and how no matter what he had to do he would do what was right. He's a stand up character and that's a plus in my book. I don't want the characters to be wishy washy or flakey.

The Brotherhood in this book is seriously scary. I love the twists with Tess's sister thrown in there and how it affected her even tho they were hundred of miles away. It made the Brotherhood seem real to the reader and to Tess.

5/5 stars

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

2012-01-07T19:12:00.000-06:00

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott
Release Date: September 15, 2011
Pages: 269

Synopsis: Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.

My thoughts: As I Wake was very emotional for me. I easily get attached to characters and Ava's amnesia was hard for her to handle and I could only imagine how I'd handle it.

However this book did get confusing in a few spots for me. I've read several books where the author uses italics to switch between point of views, etc. Elizabeth Scott uses italics in this book to show the reader when Ava is remembering an event. At first I had to re-read several times to try to figure out what was happening. In the end though I enjoyed the memories in the plot of the book. At first it won't make sense but then it will in the end :)

4/5 stars

Scoprio Races !

2011-08-11T18:07:00.002-05:00

We all know I'm a fan of Maggie Stiefvaters. So here's her new trailer for her book coming out in October this year :)

VEDA

2011-08-06T22:08:00.002-05:00

I've decided to Vlog Every Day in August, aka Veda. Saha got me started so here we go with 5 days of catchup!!

THE VESPERTINE.

2011-02-01T09:53:00.003-06:00

I wanted to share a book with you that I really am excited to read!

Silhouette Giveaway!

2010-11-22T18:29:00.001-06:00

Jen over at tatertots and jello are hosting a silhouette machine giveaway! Go check it out. Not only is the machine amazing but so are Jen's crafty ideas!!

Crafting, etc.

2010-11-14T13:56:00.007-06:00

I've been going tutu crazy lately and today I needed a change. I decided to take a little doe charm I found at Hobby Lobby the other week to create a necklace. The charms a little small to be alone so I decided to tweak it a bit. I attached it to a eye pin. Then I placed a glass heart bead onto the eyepin along with a flower bead and voila!

I ran out of chain so I'm going to have to wait til I can run to the store to get some chain before I can wear it. However it came out soooo cute! I love it.

I'm getting metal jewelry stamps for my birthday so I'll be sure to post some of those creations later!

Tutu's galore!

2010-11-07T17:42:00.002-06:00

I've found a new love of tutus!

They're so much fun! I made a coworker one for her daughter just to try it out and they've taken off! I've got 4 on request and I'm thinking about opening an etsy shop. I love making them! They're very girly and perfect for anyone. I've also got two adult tutu's on order. Weeeeeeee! I love crafting and finding new loves to make.

If you've got any ideas on my shop name let me know! I need some help with that. Plus whichever name I pick (if it's from a comment) I send you a tutu!

Isn't life grand?

2010-09-05T18:43:00.011-05:00

I adore hanging out with my dad. He's my best friend and makes every day insanely fun. We do the most ridiculous things and cry so hard we laugh at our silliness. He's one of the only people I can truly be myself around & it always ends up being a great day with him. I've got girlfriends who just don't understand being able to spend the entire day with your parent and not want to claw someone's eyes out. Dad and I've always been close every since I was a little girl.

Today of course was not any different. We went to drive around, which usually entails getting a drink at the convenience store then heading to Watkins Mill to let the dogs run around. Of course as we're headed back home dad tells me to take a left instead of right (which lead to the house) I immediately knew it was a off the beaten path day. Dad LOVES taking back roads and seeing where they go. I however am not as adventurous as he is plus I'm slightly terrified of gravel roads that I don't know that well.

So off we went. We finally arrived home around 2 1/2 hours later but we had a blast. We ended up at Wallace State Park where we sat on the bench by the water trying to capture a gorgeous blue butterfly on camera that kept flying around us. It was determined to land on dad. Bella on the other hand was determined to eat said butterfly. So enjoy some pictures from today :)

All in all it was a amazing fall day <3

How to be alone.

2010-08-15T12:20:00.005-05:00

I saw this on craftzine, and it's very true.

Here's the full poem:
HOW TO BE ALONE by Tanya Davis

If you are at first lonely, be patient. If you've not been alone much, or if when you were, you weren't okay with it, then just wait. You'll find it's fine to be alone once you're embracing it.

We could start with the acceptable places, the bathroom, the coffee shop, the library. Where you can stall and read the paper, where you can get your caffeine fix and sit and stay there. Where you can browse the stacks and smell the books. You're not supposed to talk much anyway so it's safe there.

There's also the gym. If you're shy you could hang out with yourself in mirrors, you could put headphones in (guitar stroke).

And there's public transportation, because we all gotta go places.

And there's prayer and meditation. No one will think less if you're hanging with your breath seeking peace and salvation.

Start simple. Things you may have previously (electric guitar plucking) based on your avoid being alone principals.

The lunch counter. Where you will be surrounded by chow-downers. Employees who only have an hour and their spouses work across town and so they -- like you -- will be alone.

Resist the urge to hang out with your cell phone.

When you are comfortable with eat lunch and run, take yourself out for dinner. A restaurant with linen and silverware. You're no less intriguing a person when you're eating solo dessert to cleaning the whipped cream from the dish with your finger. In fact some people at full tables will wish they were where you were.

Go to the movies. Where it is dark and soothing. Alone in your seat amidst a fleeting community.
And then, take yourself out dancing to a club where no one knows you. Stand on the outside of the floor till the lights convince you more and more and the music shows you. Dance like no one's watching...because, they're probably not. And, if they are, assume it is with best of human intentions. The way bodies move genuinely to beats is, after all, gorgeous and affecting. Dance until you're sweating, and beads of perspiration remind you of life's best things, down your back like a brook of blessings.

Go to the woods alone, and the trees and squirrels will watch for you.
Go to an unfamiliar city, roam the streets, there're always statues to talk to and benches made for sitting give strangers a shared existence if only for a minute and these moments can be so uplifting and the conversations you get in by sitting alone on benches might've never happened had you not been there by yourself

Society is afraid of alonedom, like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements, like people must have problems if, after a while, nobody is dating them. but lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it.

You could stand, swathed by groups and mobs or hold hands with your partner, look both further and farther for the endless quest for company. But no one's in your head and by the time you translate your thoughts, some essence of them may be lost or perhaps it is just kept.

Perhaps in the interest of loving oneself, perhaps all those sappy slogans from preschool over to high school's groaning were tokens for holding the lonely at bay. Cuz if you're happy in your head than solitude is blessed and alone is okay.

It's okay if no one believes like you. All experience is unique, no one has the same synapses, can't think like you, for this be releived, keeps things interesting lifes magic things in reach.

And it doesn't mean you're not connected, that communitie's not present, just take the perspective you get from being one person in one head and feel the effects of it. take silence and respect it. if you have an art that needs a practice, stop neglecting it. if your family doesn't get you, or religious sect is not meant for you, don't obsess about it.

you could be in an instant surrounded if you needed it
If your heart is bleeding make the best of it
There is heat in freezing, be a testament.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.

2010-07-19T13:43:00.001-05:00

AMAZING! What is there more to say about this book. I could cuddle up with it all night and be blissfully happy for eternity. Sam & Grace's relationship never seems to amaze me. How Maggie can write exactly how they're feeling and make you feel the EXACT same way is being phenomenal. Authors seem to have a difficult time topping their first book in a series, but not Maggie. Linger was ten times better than Shiver and I definitely cannot wait til Forever comes out.

Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #8)

2010-05-30T14:09:00.004-05:00

** spoiler alert ** This was absolutely my favorite BDB book. John & Xhex's story was phenomenal! These books always look extremely long but once you start them you can't put them down. I loved that we got to see part of Tohr's background along with John's dad, Darius which was also Xhex's story. It tied together well & I loved it.

I like how sneaky JR is with adding new characters all while tying them into the book's story line. You don't feel like they were thrown in there just because she needed someone else. Plus it gets you to thinking about how they're going to figure into the story in the end. I really want to read Murhder's story now!

My next book is either Spirit Bound or Dear John, decisions decisions.

Solar System Necklace

2010-05-11T22:27:00.001-05:00

My faves? Your faves!

2010-05-10T21:08:00.003-05:00

Here's a short way to share our faves, so I'll post mine & be sure to share yours!

Name:
Location:
Five movies:
Five tv shows:
Five Books:
Five stores:
Five objects:
Four actors:
Three animals:
Two restaurants:
One quote:

Here be mine ;)

Name: Tracy
Location: The Midwest
Five movies:
1. You've got mail
2. Pocahontas
3. Chisum & Rooster Cogburn
4. BBC Pride & Prejudice
5. Wizard of Oz
Five tv shows:
1. Survivor
2. Amazing Race
3. Gilmore Girls
4. Vampire Diaries
5. NCIS
Five Books:
1. Thirteen Reasons Why
2. Hunger Games
3. Lone Survivor
4. Pride & Prejudice
5. The Alchemist
Five stores:
1. Barnes & Noble
2. Target
3. Best Buy
4. Kohls
5. Fashion Bug
Five objects:
1. Cellphone
2. Laptop
3. Flip Mini
4. My Nikon :)
5. iPod
Four actors/actress:
1. Robert Downey Jr.
2. Gerard Butler
3. Jake Gyllenhaal
4. Kate Winslet
5. Queen Latifah
Three animals:
1. Beethoven
2. Bella
3. Axle
Two restaurants:
1. Jose Peppers
2. Olive Garden
One quote:
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Linger trailer = love

2010-05-10T19:52:00.000-05:00

Staying positive!

2010-04-07T18:01:00.002-05:00

Has been extremely difficult this last few weeks. Dad however has been amazing, which I had no doubt about, with keeping me up & making things ten times better than they would be. I had a couple of co-workers come to work sick & I caught what they had. Last week after taking Friday & Monday off I came back to work Tuesday thinking I'd got over the cold. WRONG. Tuesday night I started coughing up blood & went back to the doctor Wednesday. Well I have strep throat which caused everything to be swole so bad that when I coughed I popped a blood vessel. I got put on amoxicillin for the strep & went on my merry way. Saturday I started Yaz for my PCOS & started having stomach issues. These have continued til today when finally I got fed up and went back to the doctor. It seems that I now have bronchitis PLUS the amoxicillin and yaz were causing the stomach discomfort so I had to switch medications. Hopefully that will help my stomach settle down & make the stomach problems go away. *fingers crossed* I'm extremely tired of going to the doctor and/or having some sort of illness. I just want it to be fixed. Which I know is easier said than done. Here's hoping that the next few days brings a happier stomach to me :)

Ketchup!

2010-03-28T18:14:00.003-05:00

Remember in school when you'd have "ketchup" or catch up days? Here's the Tracy version of a ketchup blog! Work has been all consuming for me so very little has been getting read here at my house. The latest book I'm reading is:

So far this book is extremely riveting. I can't put my finger on exactly what's going on & that's a good thing. Luce has had an incident involving shadows she's seen all her life & a boy she was crushing on. They were hanging out and the next thing Luce knew that he was on fire and she couldn't stop it. Afterwards she's sent to a reform school where she meets Daniel, a guy she knows she's met before. The shadows begin showing up more & more and Luce is determined to face them this time.

I decided since I like the Vampire Diaries TV series so much I'd try reading the series by L.J. Smith.

A word to the wise, they're extremely slow! I got through the first two books before I put them down. I'll come back to them later I'm sure but for now I'm content on just watching the TV show :)

Sunday Saga

2010-02-22T21:23:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a complete and utter disaster. I got up at 10 and couldn't find Bella. Mom had let her and Beethoven out so I thought maybe she'd snuck back out since she has this bad habit of coming inside then shooting back out the door & you never realize that she's out until later. We promptly flipped out it was extremely cold outside and she's so small. After tearing the house apart we found her under the recliner hiding, which was strange. I finally got her out and she got sick & wasn't acting right. We called the vet and the vet thought maybe she'd ate something she wasn't supposed to and was just passing it. After about 4 hours I realized we had a bigger problem then her just eating something. It was sleeting & snowing outside and I wanted to go to the vet before it got too bad. As soon as we got to the vet & I took Bella out of the carrier she had a bowel movement from the stress of the vets office. The vet immediately said, "She has parvo, that's the number one sign of it" & I started crying.

We always get our dogs vaccinated but because of my job issues I've not had the money to get them done so she'd only had the first round of puppy shots. I was planning on taking her this Friday when I got my first check since going full time (because I only get paid once a month). Well needless to say I was upset that a simple vaccination could have prevented this whole ordeal and that she could die because of it. The vet gave her a shot to keep a secondary infection from coming in and killing her. She also said because Bella was still able to stand up and move around plus she wasn't dehydrated yet that she had a 50/50 chance if she made it through the night then if she made it to today she had a 75% chance of making it. The vet also said there'd been an outbreak of it recently which was abnormal since it's winter....

I left with orders to get pedialyte and to give her a syringe full of it hourly until she urinated then I could do it every four hours, needless to say I knew I was in for a long night. We headed to Wal-Mart which was right down the road to get the pedialyte and headed home. Well it was snowing extremely hard and the roads were a mess by the time we got home we couldn't get up our hill. After going to the police department and getting no help from them & then trying to get up either way to our house for an hour we weren't very happy. Eventually we called my Uncle Joe who lives a few houses down from us and he came down and pulled us up the hill.

When we finally got home & I got Bella out I was surprised to find she had only had one accident in the carrier and we'd been in the car for quite awhile. We got her settled and began her hourly dose of pedialyte. I went to bed around 11:30 and mom & dad stayed up giving Bella the pedialyte til 4am then dad woke me up and I took over. Finally around 9am Bella had to pee & we began the every 4 hour dosage instructions. I made her a poached egg which she gobbled down at around 9:30am and she went number 2 at 11am. I was ecstatic. I called the vet and let her know what was going on and all she could say was "I'm impressed! You did so well". I cried again. She said to keep giving Bella bland foods for the rest of the day and that tomorrow she could start her normal diet and to keep the stress on her to a minimum for another 3-4 days. Then in 2 weeks she can get her vaccination. Needless to say I feel like it's all been a dream. She's doing really well & I'm just happy she's ok. I don't want to be to optimistic but I think she's going to be fine.

Yesterday I couldn't stop crying because I knew a simple shot could have prevented the entire ordeal but I also know that we weren't able to do it financially. I'm just glad my little buddy is ok :)

Book Review: Vampire Diaries.

2010-02-15T17:24:00.003-06:00

After falling in love with the CW series I decided to check out the books. I have to say they're decent. Nothing that I "love" but they're a good read. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is about them but they're interesting and sometimes aren't. They're a quick read and aren't all that predictable which is nice. However sometimes the writing seems too simple and a little dull. I'm now reading the 2nd book & we'll see how that goes.

In other news they've hired a screen writer for Shiver. Hopefully this comes full circle and becomes a movie! I know Maggie Stiefvater, the author, is psyched as am I.

Linger.

2010-02-14T12:30:00.001-06:00

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Sharing, is it caring?

2009-12-03T11:54:00.003-06:00

Blogging for the last few months has been difficult, to say the least. I don't want to be a negative nanny so I just don't blog. I try to think of something I could blog about that would be interesting but I just can't. Things are nutso right now and hopefully they'll calm down soon. I just don't want to blog daily about things that have gone wrong ya know? So I just keep it off of here then it kinda looks like I've disappeared when I haven't. I'm just choosing not to throw it out there and have people think I'm a pessimist when I most definitely am not. In this case not sharing is caring :)

On another note I started reading again, I had about a month or 2 lag where I just didn't want to read anything. I do that sometimes but this was a tad longer than norm but onto the books!

Such a great book! I can't wait til the 3rd one comes out. It left you on a cliffhanger which I figured was going to happen however I loved it. This is a series that sucks you in from the first page and just won't let you go. The characters are amazing and you can't help but love them.

This is the 3rd book in the series and I just skimmed it to be honest. I was still getting out of my non reading phase and I've found myself over historical romances for the time being. I think I've just read so many of them they all seem about the same now. However with that said I love this series (LOL). The Hatahaway's crack me up. They're a family that's real & you can relate with them because they're not perfect. They're not a everyone is sunshine and roses family which I love. Each one of them have their problems and they love each other unconditionally. Definitely a good series to read!

Ah the Bride Quartet. Nora & I have been hit and miss lately so I was hoping this book was a good as the first one and it was. Four women who are best friends started a wedding planning business and each one manages something different in the business. The first book was about Mac who is the photographer of the group. This book is about Emma who is the florist find her true love.

I accidentally read this book first & it's actually book 2 of a series. Don't you hate when you do that but it seems like any book now a days is a series & I hated it until I went back and read the first book. Ha. Shame on me. tsk tsk.

I'm a huge JR Ward fan, I loved the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, however this book was just too long. It felt drawn out and I couldn't get into it at all. I skimmed through it and got the gist of the book but it just didn't grab my attention :(

This is the book before Hunting Ground & I loved it! I love Patricia Briggs's ability to make the characters seem everyday and amazing at the same time. Charles and Anna are another couple who you just want to stand up and cheer for. Can I have the 3rd one yet please? Kthksbye!

Birthday Blessings.

2009-11-23T21:23:00.006-06:00

Today was amazing! Tanya came over first thing this morning & she'd made me a carrot cake. Yum. Her, Dad & I then went to Jose Peppers (my favorite restaurant) to have lunch then it was off to the movies to see New Moon. We had a blast just hanging out and goofing around. They're my two favorite people in the world & they made my day amazing. Tanya got me a copy of WOZ & a candle. Then Dad got me Snow White on DVD. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

2009-10-20T23:35:00.003-05:00

I finally finished this book yesterday. I've had this cold for almost 2 weeks and it's made reading difficult. Plus I'm in a reading slump you could say where I just didn't want to read for about 2 weeks before I got the cold. Anyways onto the book!

This is book #4 in the Vampire Academy series, here's the synopsis.
"Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?"

Rose is bound to Lissa, her best friend and in this book they're separated which made this book difficult. It was slow at the beginning because of them being separated and it took about 50-60 pages before I was really into the book. I saw the ending coming with Dimitri and that wasn't a surprise to me. However, the Avery/Simon/Reed trio was a huge surprise, but a good one. The plot progressed well & overall I enjoyed the book but this was not a favorite of mine in the series. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars. Next I'll be reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

QoTD

2009-10-19T14:08:00.001-05:00

I've made mistakes in my life. I've let people take advantage of me, & I accepted way less than I deserve. But, I've learned from my bad choices & even though there are some things I can never get back & people who will never be sorry, I'll know better next time & I won't settle for anything less than I deserve.

This is bezerko Bella.

2009-10-06T21:39:00.001-05:00

Remember when I said before that Bella gets extremely mad/fired up really quickly? Well watch the proof of this below.

The leaves continue to fall

2009-10-03T18:22:00.002-05:00

It's officially fall and I'm drinking some amazing mint cocoa. I love the fall, the leaves, the smell, the fun, but I hate the cold. It's 50* here today and burr! We had to fix the basement window from where the lightning shattered the glass. We've been lazy and ignored it, but the temperatures have made it where we needed to fix it today or else. So we went out to the local hardware store, got some glass and put it in. Unfortunately I don't know how I did it, but the glass cut the bejeebers out of my finger. It hurts, to say the least.

I need to get some pictures, but the other day I forgot to take my camera with me on my walk. Figure right? I usually do that. Other than that I've just been busy planning for story times at work & working. I'm trying to catch up on my reading but I've just not been motivated to do so. I need to get busy because some of the books are coming due in a few days....

Fave children's book?

2009-09-23T18:29:00.002-05:00

I have a question so be sure to leave comments galore! I want to know what your favorite children's book is? What did you read as child? What are you children reading now? Lemme know.

Traffic light camera

2009-09-20T20:45:00.003-05:00

Let me tell you a story of a girl and her father who were driving down the highway and went to go through the traffic light that has a newly installed camera on it. If you pass through the intersection while the light is red it takes a picture of your vehicle and mails you a ticket. So she diligently made sure she didn't even come close to driving through the light whenever it's red. Today the girl went to go through the light & it turned yellow so she hit the brakes. Hard. The anti lock breaks promptly kicked in which scared the bejeebers out of said girl. The break pedal sunk to the floor which freaked her out even more and somehow she managed to hit the horn with her elbow. After returning home from the trip she realized she'd somehow managed to hurt her back in the process of making a fool out of herself. Now she's in pain.

Say hello to the girl...

Ballad! An upcoming book <3

2009-09-17T13:52:00.001-05:00

Ballad can be pre-ordered HERE!

The teaser:

He turned towards me. For a long moment, he stood facing me. I was held, anchored to the ground – not by his music, which still called and pushed against the music already in my head and said grow rise follow – but by his strangeness. By his fingers, spread over the ground, holding something into the earth, by his shoulders, squared in a way that spoke of strength and unknowability, and most of all, by the great, thorny antlers that grew from his head, spanning the sky like branches.

Then he was gone, and I missed his going in the instant that the sun fell off the edge of the hill, abandoning the world to twilight.

Catch me if you can.

2009-09-15T18:58:00.015-05:00

The other day I mentioned Bella gets really aggravated at the fact that she cannot catch Beethoven no matter what she does. Today after mowing I sat out in the yard with them, busted out the big boy Nicholas the Nikon & took 184 photos of them.

I didn't do too bad, out of those I kept 94! It's funny to flip through them quickly and see the action but here are some of my faves of today. Enjoy. You can click the pictures to make them bigger :)

Contemplating her move.

Attack!!

Mad & rolling about.

Readddy...

Blast off!

And the race is on.

Sometimes she had to just sit and watch as Beethoven ran around like a mad man.

Then Helen came along, and she reveled in her power! Domination then occurred.

But then she spotted bigger prey...

& she was off!

Shiver contest! WINNER!

2009-09-13T00:47:00.003-05:00

The 3rd comment was JANINE! Congratulations :) Janine is actually part of a guild I'm in so I'm sure she'll PM me there :)

Mazey Lazy Saturdays.

2009-09-12T23:13:00.006-05:00

Bella's loving lazy Saturdays just as much as I am :) She's slowly getting bigger! She's definitely got slightly taller & a little rounder. Plus she's doing extrememly well on the potty training issues. This morning she got up out of her bed & shot into the kitchen & I was like what in the world is she doing? (Which isn't a abnormal question to be asking about her since she's absolutely bonkers sometimes) So I was keeping an eye on her and she got to the corner of the stove and turns around to look at me with a "WTF come on I gotta go" look on her face, I got up and ran to the front door where she was waiting and she zinged outside to go! I was so proud of her :) She's only 2 days short of being 10 weeks old & I'm amazed at how well she's doing.

Her personality cracks me up. She's a zinger that's for sure. She romps constantly throughout the day especially in the morning and at night. Poor Beethoven is like "Leave an old man alone!" but they're getting along really well. She gets so fired up & aggravated easily so we're trying not to play with her too much because we don't want her to get mean. She loves being by someone and sleeping, which is extremely adorable.

Saying goodbye.

2009-09-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

4 days? Who's excited!

2009-09-06T23:20:00.006-05:00

Man I needed a break this week. It wasn't one thing that made me feel this way it was just anything & everything. Therefore I'm extremely thankful I have a 4 day weekend, I don't go back to work til Wednesday & I'm reveling in the fact that I can hole up until then. So far I've been enjoying my families company & catching up on some reading. There's nothing better than relaxing and knowing that there's not going to be some sort of drama around the corner. I'm enjoying it a ton, can you tell? ha!

I recently downloaded Ingrid Michaelson's new cd, Everybody and I love it! Here's a song from the new album.

We also got a new puppy & here's a video of her being absolutely nuts.

Enjoy!

Shiver contest!

2009-08-31T19:34:00.007-05:00

Trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX82ggGCF7c

You've read me rave about Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater now experience it for yourself! Yep that's right, one lucky winner will win copy of Shiver in audio book form. Maggie herself donated one for a lucky winner (how nice is that?!) Here's what you have to do, watch the trailer and leave a comment!

Contest ends Friday September 12th, the winner will be announced on the 13th! Good luck!

Fall is coming.

2009-08-23T21:40:00.004-05:00

This week has been insane. The weather for the last three days have been bordering on chilly during the day & extremely chilly at night. It's the middle of August. IN MISSOURI. Are ya kidding me?! Normally the temperature is in the 100's with heat indexes out of the roof but we've hardly had any days like that. It feels & smells like fall but I'm not ready for the summer to be over. Don't get me wrong, I love snow, Christmas time & drinking lots of mint tea however I hate having the "cooped up" feeling of having to stay in the house & it blistering cold all the time. Plus I'll miss days of doing things like this:

Oh well it'll be back next year!

I recently finished Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I really loved the book, her writing is amazing. It's full of amazing characters who draw you into their world and make you feel every emotion as if it were yours. Sam's intensity & sadness is so palpable that you want to reach through the book and hug him. The world Maggie describes & pulls you into is one that you won't want to leave. She weaves an amazing story that leaves you wanting for more. I cannot wait til for Linger!

I also won a audio book of Shiver from Maggie's blog & if you keep an eye out in the near future you'll be able to win one too!

8/21/09 Me today

2009-08-21T18:50:00.003-05:00

New Moon Trailer, this should get you excited about November!

2009-08-17T18:59:00.001-05:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Ballad Trailer!

2009-08-17T13:52:00.002-05:00

Book Review: 13 Reasons Why

2009-08-15T18:45:00.002-05:00

Books discussed in this Video:
13 Reasons Why-Jay Asher
Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger
To Beguile a Beast-Elizabeth Hoyt
Shiver-Maggie Stiefvater
Lover Avenged-J.R. Ward
Smoke Jumper-Nicholas Evans

Books galore!!

2009-08-10T16:47:00.005-05:00

Beware there's some serious book candy below.

You ready?

Are you sure?

.....

Be prepared,

are you sitting down?

No?

Ok I'll give ya a moment to get a chair...

...

...

...

This book came out 8 days ago and I've been trying to get it since! I finally had a chance to go get it today. I'm extremely excited, I loved Lament so I expect to enjoy this one too. Check out the trailer below made by the one and only Maggie Stiefvater.

The Time Traveler's Wife is one of those I picked up a few years ago but never got a chance to read it. Well it's time.

13 Reason's Why by Jay Asher was recommended to me today by a friend & let me tell you this is one of those books that you just feel you need to read.

Happy Book Hunting!

Out of the wood works.

2009-08-04T15:29:00.003-05:00

Have you read that another author is accusing Stephenie Meyer of plagiarism? Yep. I'm not going to name the author or her book, she's saying was plagiarized for the simple fact I think she's seen how big the Twilight fan base is & this is her attempt to try & get people to read her book to make a little money. So if you want to know her name or the title of the book, google is your friend.

She sent a cease & desist letter to the publisher of "Breaking Dawn" claiming the Twilight tale contains a "striking and substantial similarity" to the so called author's book.

In her extremely detailed letter, she claims her book was published in 2006 -- two years before "Breaking Dawn" -- and it's no coincidence that many of the scenes are almost identical. Such as...

-- Both books contain a post-wedding sex scene (Yes b/c no book out there has this scene in it)
-- Both books contain a scene about a woman who's sick because she's carrying a child with "evil powers" (How many books & movies have you seen with the same situation in it? Are they plagiarizing too?)
-- Both books contain a scene with the death of the main character's wife (I've read BD twice now & the only thing I can think of that she's referring to is that Bella "dies" and becomes a vampire. No other main character's wife dies)

My question is, did it really take you more than a year to realize someone supposedly plagiarized your book?! Come on. The series is huge, the movies are huge, Stephenie Meyer is extremely popular & you take over a year to accuse her of plagiarizing. Give me a break. Go back into the woodwork where you belong & quit trying to make money off of someone else's success.

I most definitely will NOT be reading the book she claims is plagiarized, nor will I be giving any of her other books a chance for the simple fact I find this letter pathetic & so should you. Don't give her the time of day. She's simply pulling a publicity stunt to get people interested in her book. DON'T.DO.IT!

Have a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2009-08-02T21:47:00.001-05:00

I'd like to know when we started spawning generations that don't have respect for themselves much less anyone else. Have you noticed this? Here's two prime examples of what I'm talking about.

We're on our way to Wal-Mart today and we pull up beside a truck at the stop light. On the back window of this truck in enormous letters with a pair of lips in the center & it reads, "SHUT UP & SWALLOW". Yes, because that's something everyone should have on the back of their truck, right? Right. Who in their right mind would put this on the back of any of their property?! They obviously don't have respect for themselves let alone anyone else.

Then we park by another truck & as we're pulling in I see that this truck has a slightly smaller sticker that says, "Drop the bitches & lets go muddn". What in the world is wrong with people?! I mean seriously. These things are not appropriate anywhere. Could you imagine being in a car with a child who's just started reading & have them ask what that means? Plus the level of disrespect that it's showing women in general is ridiculous. Unless we get out of this train of thought that it's ok to disrespect people (not just women) but any human being it's going to keep getting worse. A perpetual cycle has begun in this nation & unless we have people who break out of the mold to fix it it'll continue. Hatred & ignorance is passed down from generation to generation & without people to break the mold where will we be 50 years from now?

Just a little food for thought.

New recipe site

2009-07-14T16:51:00.003-05:00

I'm an avid reader of The Pioneer Woman's website, and today she launched a new recipe site called, Tasty Kitchen, which I'm already in love with. I'm not a huge cooking fan but I love browsing recipes & finding new things to make. The site is extremely easy to navigate & I look forward to using it more in the future.

In other news my neighbor had to go down to the police department & file a report against her step son. This is the neighbor who's husband just died & we're watching their dogs. It's a mess & her step son seems to think he has the right to take whatever it is he thinks he deserves from their house and sell. We're watching who goes up and down the hill to their house. If we see anyone without our neighbor or a friend of hers we're supposed to call the police. I just know this isn't how he'd want his son to be acting.

Ciao <3

Memories.

2009-07-13T01:25:00.001-05:00

Some memories fade,
Others slap you in the face
When you least expect it.
I lay here remembering you
When I should be sleeping.
I'll never forget your
Laugh, smiles & zest for life.
You left us to soon,
Still we grieve,
8 years later we mourn,
8 years later I still remember
Your laugh, voice & love of gardening.
I wish I could see you one more time,
To tell you that I love you & miss you every day,
How dad will forever have a piece of him missing, a hole that no one can fill.
Mostly I wish for more time.
If only that were possible...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Lemons in life.

2009-07-12T15:43:00.001-05:00

As the clouds clear,
I see you.
The you I've seen,
before.
What happened?
To the past,
the way it was.
I laugh,
at myself
for thinking another
way,
at you
for being another
way,
at life,
for showing me the way.
In the end,
I'm here,
strong
&
loved by
amazing people.

Things on Tuesday.

2009-07-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

Loathe:

* people who need you to be there for them but won't reciprocate.
* texting and getting a one word answer. we're not neanderthals. well maybe you are.
* blogging as of late.
* cancer.
* cancer.
* did i say cancer?

Love:

* YOU! The only person who's sitting out there in internet land right now reading this & is 100% sure this is meant for you. You are the one & only person time & time again I can count on to not give me one word text responses. To genuinely care. To listen to my random psycho babble. To pick me up when I fall, help me dust my arse off, & laugh with me for tripping over the hole in the first place. The one who can take one glance at me, stop whatever it is you're doing and ask me what's the matter. Who can figure out by a text message that I'm upset. Who can hear my tone over the phone, even tho I'm trying desperately to cover it up, that I'm upset. For you, I'm forever grateful God put you in my life. In my very dramaful, crazy, ridiculously clumsy life.

xoxo <3

Maggie Stiefvater.

2009-07-05T13:39:00.001-05:00

Epic Fail.

2009-07-05T12:39:00.001-05:00

I didn't take any pictures yesterday. None. Zero. Nada. I was not in the mood for people for one and for two it was hot and muggy & I just didn't want to lug it around. Yesterday was one of those days where the littlest of things could & would set me off. I'm tired of people's drama & ignorance that continually ruins EVERY holiday. If people would just use a grain of their common sense things would go a whole lot smoother. Unfortunately as dad says, "You can't fix stupid". Happy Sunday.

Yo-Yo Bracelet

2009-06-10T23:46:00.001-05:00

Gnarls gets a pool!

2009-06-06T18:51:00.002-05:00

Gnarls loves water so gnarls + a pool =priceless!! Watch the craziness that ensued when we filled it up.

Of course Beethoven had to get in on the action.

First Flip Videos!

2009-06-06T18:45:00.005-05:00

I promise there was a deer & excuse the crazy movements of the camera.

I look mad in the 2nd one, I was zonked.

New Moon Trailer <3

2009-05-31T22:18:00.001-05:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The trailer looks amazing!! Obviously the scenes aren't sequential. She's wearing different clothes yada yada I've heard it all already. I think the trailer looks amazing. Yes Jasper's hair looks different but they had to use a wig during this movie because he had to cut his hair for another movie. Jacob in his wolf form looked great. Yes it's CGI & yes it screams Golden Compass however it was better than I expected :) Here's to November!

The ankle...

2009-05-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

If you know me or you've read my blog for awhile you know I have horrible ankles. I tore all the tendons & ligaments in it in '93. Then last year I tore everything again. Well today while working on Dayton's bike I stepped on the last stair on the front porch, which is a tad bit higher than the ground. Well I bet you can guess what happened. Yep. I rolled it again. It hurts like a mother & we'll see how it is later. At least I still have the air cast from last year...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Lightning.

2009-05-21T11:18:00.004-05:00

Friday we had a insane thunderstorm which was throwing lightning everywhere. We have quite a few old established trees in our yard that take a beating each year from the weather & Friday wasn't any different. I was not home & I'm glad I wasn't because I'm sure I would've been hiding under the bed. Dad however was home.

Now for those of you who don't know my father he's definitely not afraid of much & never jumps at thunder or lightning. However the lightning bolt that hit the tree outside our kitchen window had him ducking for cover. When he looked up he thought his bronco had been hit because it was glowing. Poor Beethoven shot under the bed & wouldn't come out for the next 3 hours or so. It took dad 5 hours to get him back on the bed because Beethoven thought the bed had created the noise.

The tree is on the South side of our house & it shot debris into our neighbors yard on the North side of us. It was really insane. It also fried the cable, internet & phone along with messing up the gateway computer monitor & my television set. A rock from somewhere also broke our basement window. I have no clue where the rock came from since we mow & weed eat by the house so your guess is as good as mine. There's 2 holes in the ground from where the lightning came out of & they look like the ground just imploded by itself. Freaky stuff. Here's some pictures of the damage.

Our 2nd annual Earth Hour.

2009-03-28T16:47:00.003-05:00

At 8:30 pm tonight my family & I will be turning off all the electricity in our house for approximately one hour. Why you may ask? To vote earth of course! It's our small party in deciding we want to help save earth and to do something positive against global warming.

Last year it wasn't well known but this year it's HUGE. The word has spread and we can all help to make a difference. You can take pictures of the event and upload it to the Earth Hour flickr group, make a video and upload it to youtube, write a live blog post or if you have a twitter update your twitter and write #earthhour or #voteearth and your #location in your update to tag it.

Last year we played monopoly by candlelight which is prolly what we'll do again today. It's a chance to unplug, reconnect & make a difference.

Project Book Babe.

2009-03-28T13:27:00.001-05:00

If some of your favorite authors include, Stephenie Meyer, Rick Riordan or Suzanne Collins you will definitely want to check this out. Project book babe is a even to help raise money for Faith Hochhalter's medical bills. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and when the publishing community heard about it they decided to help as much as possible. There are some truly amazing items up for auction that you should definitely check out. They've had so many people donate items that they're going to have an online auction. So if you can't make it to Tempe, AZ on April 4th you could possibly bid on and win items from the online auction.

WHEN IS PROJECT BOOK BABE?

Saturday, April 4th 2009

2:00PM to 5:00PM

WHERE IS PROJECT BOOK BABE?

Marcos de Niza High School Auditorium

6000 S. Lakeshore Dr.

Tempe, AZ 85283

You need to purchase a ticket here. Plus you can see a list of the online auction items here.

WHO WILL BE FEATURED AT THE PROJECT BOOK BABE EVENT?

AUTHORS:

Frank Beddor
-The Looking Glass Wars series

Chris Gall
-There’s Nothing to Do on Mars

P.J. Haarsma
-The Softwire series

Shannon Hale
-The Princess Academy

J.S. Lewis
-The Revenge of the Shadow King

Dean Lorey
-Nightmare Academy series

Stephenie Meyer
-Twilight saga

Brandon Mull
-Fablehaven series

James A. Owen
-Here, There Be Dragons

Janette Rallison
-Just One Wish

Laini Taylor
-Faeries of Dreamdark series

MUSICIANS:

Adam Kump- from Phoenix, AZ.

Adam Watts Band- from Orange County, CA.

ARTISTS:

Shannon Eric Denton
- Graveslinger

Benjamin Glendenning
- Skulljammer

Scott Godlewski
- Mysterious Adventure Magazine

Tony Parker
- Games Workshop

Terry Tibke
- Armageddon: The Battle of Darkening Skies

Where the Wild Things Are.

2009-03-25T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm really excited about this movie! I loved the book as a child & I still love it as an adult. Check out the trailer!!

Beethoven & I's photo session.

2009-03-20T22:59:00.003-05:00

The other day we had opened the windows & of course Beethoven got into them immediately because they're his favorite space in the whole house during the summer. He's so cute when he lays half on the bed and half in the window sill checking out everything that's going on outside. I decided to try and take some pictures of him in the window & I couldn't get any of just him so here's what came of it.

Earth Hour 2009.

2009-03-19T16:55:00.001-05:00

Earth Hour 2009 - Sign up for Earth Hour!

Ooo the inspiration.

2009-03-18T17:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to maura_ea I'm now wanting this bad boy again!! *Sigh* I first learned about it last year from a friend & I really keep hoping I'll stumble upon one at a garage sale or at a thrift store. No luck yet but it'll happen sooner or later.

Thanks to Maura and her ideas she's inspired me to get one! No one around me develops 120 film so I'd have to get the adaptor or one that's ready for 35mm film. Now I just have to actually get one. :D Like Maura I'm a little intimidated by having to tape the camera up however I've found a pretty good tutorial that shows you how to do it. Plus who can resist that little cutie? It comes with the tape and a holga book. Maybe I'll get one this summer....keep your fingers crossed.

Saturday we have to head north to go to my Great Grandma's funeral. She died yesterday morning from heart failure. She was an amazing woman & a very sweet woman. She lived next door to my Grandparents so whenever we visited we saw them. She'll be missed.

Ciao

The Girl Who Could Fly

2009-03-13T13:35:00.003-05:00

This book is really quite amazing. It's a mix of x-men meets farm life. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. I cried in a couple of parts & still kept reading. Victoria Forester does any amazing job of writing the story. You feel connected with Piper she's just an average girl with an extraordinary ability trying to fit in just like everyone else. She tries and tries to make friends and make her parents understand but she just can't quite make it.

Once she goes to a "special school" just for others like herself she soon realizes it's not all that it seems to be. Piper learns numerous valuable lessons that make her realize where she belongs. Piper fights for what's right and doesn't take the easy way out. You come to love Piper and she's like your little sister.

The definitely leave this book where they could make another one. I really hope they do because I for one would love to see where all of the children end up.

If you haven't read this book, I suggest you go get it today because I promise you'll have it read by tomorrow.

Ciao!

My new obsession.

2009-03-09T18:47:00.005-05:00

The other day we decided to get cell phones after not having them for 5 months. Oh my word...ADDICTION! I got a pink blackberry curve and it's a beauty. Dad's been trying to get me to get a smartphone & I'm glad I finally did. I went application crazy (: then ringtone crazy & now I just love tinkering around on it.

I find it funny that reading is now extinct due to the fact that I'm always playing on the phone or doing something else however I've always had non-reading periods & this just happens to be one of them.

I started my new job last Monday & the week went well. The library is definitely a lot slower than the one I'm coming from however I love it. People are amazing there too, which isn't surprising. (:

The weather has been ridiculous the last week. It's rained, snowed, been in the 70's and now it's snowing again. Geeze! I promise to blog more or to at least try too.

Ciao!!

This will make you cry.

2009-02-25T18:58:00.003-06:00

The classics.

2009-02-24T17:58:00.000-06:00

Apparently the BBC reckons that most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.

Copy and paste - put an X next to the ones you have read.

I've read 31 of these books but with my reading the classics challenge this will help fill in the list.

1. (x) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. () The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. (x) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. () Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. (x) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. (x) The Bible
7. (x) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. ( ) Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. () His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. ( ) Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. (x) Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. ( ) Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. ( ) Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. ( ) Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. ( ) Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. () The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. ( ) Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18. (x) Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. (x) The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. ( ) Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. ( ) Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. ( ) The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. ( ) Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. ( ) War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. ( ) The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. ( ) Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. ( ) Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. ( ) Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. (x) Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. ( ) The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. ( ) Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. ( ) David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. () Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. (x) Emma - Jane Austen
35. (x) Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. () The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. (x) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. ( ) Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. (x) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. (x) Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. (x) Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. (x) The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. ( ) One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. ( ) A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. ( ) The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. ( ) Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. ( ) Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. () The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. (x) Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. (x) Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. () Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. ( ) Dune - Frank Herbert
53. ( ) Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. (x) Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. ( ) A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. ( ) The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. ( ) A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. ( ) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. () The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. (x) Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. (x) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. ( ) Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. ( ) The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. () The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. ( ) Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. ( ) On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. ( ) Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. (x) Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69. ( ) Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. ( ) Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. ( ) Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. (x) Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. (x) The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. ( ) Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. ( ) Ulysses - James Joyce
76. ( ) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. ( ) Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. ( ) Germinal - Emile Zola
79. ( ) Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. ( ) Possession - AS Byatt
81. (x) A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. ( ) Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. (x) The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. ( ) The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. ( ) Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. ( ) A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. (x) Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. (x) The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. ( ) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. ( ) The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. ( ) Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. (x) The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint
93. ( ) The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. ( ) Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. ( ) A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. ( ) A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. ( ) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. (x) Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. (x) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100.( ) Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

matt, liz and madeline

2009-02-12T21:09:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share matt, liz and madeline's blog. I've been following along as Matt's been blogging about raising a baby while healing from his wife's death. Matt's blog is real, amazing & I love it. Be forewarned Matt cusses alot so if you can't stand that then please don't read it and please don't judge him for it. His story was on the Rachel Ray show yesterday, so check that out along with his blog.

Ciao!

P.S. I got the job at work. I found out yesterday ;)

They're too adorable.

2009-02-05T22:46:00.002-06:00

Barack and Michelle Obama's "First Dance" Beyonce Singing @ Yahoo! Video

Ok ok in response....

2009-02-04T13:15:00.001-06:00

Most everyone's heard about the Stephen King interview where he told his opinion on several authors including Stephenie Meyer.

I have to laugh at this because it's coming from Stephen King whom I've never liked. When everyone was jumping on his bandwagon years ago I tried to read one of his books, which was a major fail. I gave it a few years and tried another one. No one around me could believe I despised his books & I still do today.

However this statement of his, "Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people. ... The real difference is that JK Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good." " I both agree with and disagree with. Is JK an terrific author, nope. Can Stephenie write worth a darn? Nope.

I'm a HUGE SM fan we all know that however do I think her writing is phenomenal? No. Try listening to Twilight on tape, the woman reading the book can't pronunciate 'especially' correctly so you realize how many times SM uses it in the book. In the end it's the story I love and I think she's an amazing person.

This interview didn't really earn Stephen any brownie points with me. I think it's unprofessional to attack anyone which is essentially what he does to several authors. I understand that you have a column in a paper that you give your reviews on however it's done via constructive criticism not the way you state it in the interview. I'm all for stating your opinion but do so in a respectful manner.

The interview!

2009-02-02T00:55:00.004-06:00

Thursday I had an interview for a half time position at Kearney. It wasn't bad nor was it great. It was mediocre. I wasn't nervous, I don't tend to get nervous for interviews however I didn't feel like I did the best that I could have done. A few things threw me off & it took a few seconds to regain my barrings. I should know sometime next week whether or not I got the position. So we shall see.

Last week I decided to make a spoon ring with the help of my dad. Well in all reality Dad did most of it. I just helped here and there. Here's how it turned out!
I love it! My mom found some other spoons and I'm going to try and make those into rings also. I need to get a few things before I try it again though.

My left ear is now bothering me. I read that a ear infection can move from one ear to the other and I think that's what happened. I'm putting drops in it and I hope that takes care of it. I'm really tired of dealing with these ear infections :(

Ciao!

Reality check.

2009-01-21T23:13:00.004-06:00

For the last day some thoughts have been rattling around my head that I wanted to blog about but I don't know how well they'll come across & be received by you the reader. Here goes... If I lose readers from this then I'm sorry that you can't see another side of the coin & appreciate my thoughts & opinions.

Yesterday on my way to work I was listening to the inauguration on the radio when Reverend Lowery delivered the benediction. I was severely offended when he made this statement: "Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right." When can we stop being a nation of "colors" and just be what we are AMERICANS.

What's even worse in my mind, is that when I finally arrived at work I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone about it for fear of upsetting someone. I then started to think about why I was fearful of calmly discussing my thoughts with anyone. You always hear there's two things you don't discuss at work or around people that don't know you well & that's politics and religion. This involved both of them & I was genuinely concerned to offend anyone.

Why?! For putting my thoughts out there & someone possibly blowing up about my opinion? Isn't that my right? I never did say anything until I got home then I discussed it with my father. It's sad that in this day and age people are worried about openly discussing their thoughts in the public with co-workers or whomever it may be for fear of offending someone.

While I was at work later I overheard a woman on the phone make a racist comment about the inauguration being so expensive. Her exact words were "Did you hear how much the inauguration cost? Of course it was he's black so he has to have the best."

WHAT? I just shook my head and walked off. I was blown away at her ignorance. I don't claim to know a whole lot about politics however I am fairly well informed. It was mainly so expensive due to 3 MILLION people showing up. Security was tight & they had a lot of outdoor booths & activities for them to participate in. I'd appreciate it if you'd actually know what you're talking about before you verbally vomit ignorance at me about politics. Unfortunately that seems to be the norm for people these days. They throw an ignorant statement or status out there without knowing the facts then they want to argue with you when you call them out.

As I'm contemplating things today I had a huge reality check which put a lot of things that's been going on in my life into perspective. I was at my local store when I ran into a friend I use to work with. She's one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met & beyond amazing. As we're talking she tells me she's being diagnosed with terminal stage 4 colon cancer. *Whammy* I started to cry. We talked a little more about how she's just trying to live every day to the fullest and spend as much time with her grand kids as possible. As I got into the car I started crying again & I explained to dad was had happened.

Just like that everything that's been annoying me & seem so "important" didn't seem that bad at all. Every now and again a good reality check is good for the soul. It makes you stop & re-evaluate what really matters in your life.

Ciao.

SHE’S ALIVE!!!

2009-01-19T01:22:00.001-06:00

It’s been 5 days since I’ve blogged & literally NOTHING has happened. I worked a few days, mostly I’ve been recovering from this ear infection. Which has kicked my arse seven ways to Sunday.

A few days ago Ree, the author of pioneerwoman.com posted about having people contact Laura at Compassion International to sponsor a child but that her and her husband would financial sponsor them for you. Her generosity made me cry. It would be giving children a chance to have a sponsor whom may not have ever been sponsored along with giving people who wanted to sponsor a child but couldn’t because of the financial obligation.

After debating whether or not I was the right person to sponsor a child I sent an email off to Laura. I received my “acceptance” email last night which made me cry again. I feel so pleased, warm, happy, blessed, excited, thankful & psyched all in one. I know that without Ree & her family’s gift I wouldn’t be able to do this. So thank you Ree for all that you’ve done & for all that you continue to do. If you haven’t visited Ree, please do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Today was the NFC & AFC Championship games! This year Pittsburgh will be playing Arizona in the Super Bowl (: I’m excited!!

I’ve been reading Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians series for the YA challenge at work. I just finished book two and they’re really good. I love how he incorporated Greek mythology into them.

Ciao!

P.S. Obviously I’m trying new font, tell me what you think of it (:

Today was a long day

2009-01-14T23:10:00.002-06:00

I had to work & I was determined to not call in two days in a row. I knew I wouldn't be able to take a pain pill & drive to work so I took 4 advil praying it would last. I was fine until about 1 when the pain hit. I have amazing co-workers who were all concerned but I was ok. I had a good laugh though. A patron came up and asked for a book, I thought she said "5 lovely witches" so I did a search for a book with that title....She giggles a little and says "5 Lovely witches...?" and I'm like yea... Finally she says, "I said 5 LOVE LANGUAGES, I thought you knew something I didn't" I died laughing. I was like "I'm sorry I have an ear infection and thought you said 5 lovely witches." Dur!

I finally got to read some today. I could focus long enough to do so for the first time in a few days!

Ciao!!

E.R visit number 2!

2009-01-13T22:42:00.003-06:00

I woke up & quickly realized work was out of the picture for today. I called in then called my family doctor. UGH! I get paid once a month and didn't have near enough to pay the $50 doctor fee. I asked if I could pay half and post date a check. Nope. After calling my sister & Amanda to borrow money, which was a last ditch effort I knew I was prolly not going to get into see a Doctor. So then I tried several other options, other doctors ($70 doctors visit and no payment plan) the free clinic (you have to call before 8am to get an appointment the next day) how about the county health clinic (they wanted $42). Mom was doing all the calling while I was snoozing in bed, I felt like death ran over.

After waking up and realizing I was screwed I decided to go to the emergency room. I spent three hours there, had a cat scan and left with a ear wick in my ear, ear drops and prescriptions for Augmentin & vicodin. I officially have swimmer's ear & a middle ear infection. It's extremely painful & I want it to be gone pronto.

Dad went with me & was amazing. I started crying after they looked at my ear because the pain shooting through it was horrible & he began crying too. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's always so helpful and does whatever it takes to make sure I'm ok. He sometimes worries too much about everyone but he loves us so it's hard not to. I know that no matter what he's there to help with anything. Which means the world to me.

Ciao!

Short but sweet.

2009-01-12T18:26:00.003-06:00

My ear has flared back up and I'm miserable. Yesterday I made these,

A bracelet for a co-worker,

Ipod Cozy,

Button Bracelet,

Ciao!

Sleeeeeeeeeeeep!

2009-01-11T19:56:00.003-06:00

Yesterday at work was madness. We were getting a new counter which threw everyone and everything into chaos. We looked like a bunch of ants running around like crazy. I was running on four hours of sleep & when I got home I literally ate then went to bed. I hit the sack about 8:30 and I woke up at 4:20 wide awake. I tried to go back to sleep several times it just didn't work. I ended up laying in bed playing with Beethoven for quite a while.

Then I had to deal with wrangling Ghost because he'd broke his chain again. We then had to run to get a clamp for it then come back and put it together. It never fails when one dog gets off it's chain the other does the next day. When I'd got home last night Gnarls was lose so I knew Ghost would be today.

Then we got some stuff to make cheese dip for the football game this afternoon<3. After that I worked on a bracelet for a co-worker which turned out really cute.

Ciao!!

P.S. I really need to get a new lens for my camera. I tried to take a picture of the moon last night & they turned out ok just not as close as I wanted. Poo.

My neighbor=a busy body.

2009-01-09T21:58:00.007-06:00

My next door neighbor is a busy body & older so she thinks she can verbally vomit at people without any consequences. My sister who's hot tempered has went off on her several times when she's randomly mouthed off to her. I however try to hold my tongue. She's old, she's nosey, she's really a nice person just old and thinks she can act however she wants.

Well today I came this close <-> to going psycho on her. I'm an animal person & always have been. We have 2 dogs outside who eat before I do. I never eat if I haven't fed them yet. This morning I get up & lazed around in bed for a while. I read a book, checked my email & just laid around in bed. My ear was bothering me & I was kinda out of it. So sue me I just felt like being lazy. Boohoo. I finally drag myself out of bed to get dressed to feed them. It was around 1:30 in the afternoon when I went out to feed & water them. Well as I'm walking out I see her getting her paper out of her drive. As I'm walking back up the drive I see she's stopped at her door to wait for me. That means one of two things, 1. She wanted me to do something for her or 2. She was going to make a smart arse comment. Well she choose number 2. I look up at her and she says, "I'd hate to be one of your dogs, not getting fed until 1:30 in the afternoon!" WHAT IN THE WORLD!

I was so mad I just kept walking. I was fuming by the time I got inside. You know I go outside each and every morning to feed and water them in the rain, snow, sleet and sun. Every morning in the winter I beat ice out of water bowls, haul fresh water out to them & check on them throughout the day. Are the being neglected because they got fed late? I don't think so. Especially since I hadn't ate either. If I were abusing them every day and not taking proper care of them I could see a comment like that being directed at me. Since that's not the case I can't believe she had the gall to say that too me. When our dalmatian died a few years ago & we decided not to get a dog to put out there some stranger walked passed her back window while some people were over there for her weekly card night & she flipped out. The next day she told us she missed having a dog back there that would bark and alert us if anything was going on. So she gets free dog security without lifting a finger for them & yet she's mouthing at me. Whatever.

I know my dogs are happy & healthy & that's what really matters. Ciao!!

P.S. Ghost is the white one and Gnarls is the bigger black dog, then of course there's Beethoven in the middle.

01/08/09 Randomosity.

2009-01-08T23:48:00.002-06:00

Wow I've really been neglecting you guys! I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure I have an inner ear infection that is whooping my booty 7 ways to Sunday. I've never had one before & believe me they'll make you want pain meds pronto. I resisted though & so far so good.

I've went into craft making insanity to say the least. I got some more stuff to make jewelry along with some felt for iPod/Zune cozies. I still need to perfect the zune cozy it's a little small. I'll make another one, no biggie.

I've not read as many books as I'd planned on so far because I can't seem to focus with my ear hurting like it does. I finally finished Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. I really liked it. Norah's sarcasm had me laughing throughout the book. The movie comes out February 3rd and I want to see it asap.

Speaking of movies Coraline the next book I plan on reading has been made into a movie & it looks too cute. The horrible cute like A Nightmare Before Christmas kinda cute. I can't wait!

Ciao!

My word for 2009.

2009-01-05T17:15:00.004-06:00

Over on Tip Junkie they're asking the readers to pick a word for 2009 that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009? I choose: INFINITY. It's a strange word to pick I know, but it's my pick none the less. It has no end & that's how I want to live, breathe, experience, love, and just be. Think about it & I encourage you to pick your own word for 2009!

Ciao!

Puppies & decisions.

2009-01-04T19:55:00.008-06:00

First, the cuteness of Amanda's new puppy. Everyone meet Scrappy.

Scrappy's a Jack Russel Terrier/Red Heeler mix.

Look at his little paws! What a sweetie. He's also a cuddlier. Plus he loves the right side of his nosed scratched. He'll lean into you until he falls over when you scratch just the right spot.

In other news, I've decided to go to school and get my Master's in Library Science degree this fall. While I'm getting that one I'm also going to get my Master's in School Library Science since I already have my Bachelor's in Elementary Education. School's no big deal for me, so it'll be a breeze (: I hope.

Now for a book review:

Synopsis: In this exciting collection, bestselling authors Meg Cabot (How to Be Popular), Kim Harrison (A Fistful of Charms), Michele Jaffe (Bad Kitty), Stephenie Meyer (Twilight), and Lauren Myracle (ttyl) take bad prom nights to a whole new level—a paranormally bad level. Wardrobe malfunctions and two left feet don't hold a candle to discovering your date is the Grim Reaper—and he isn't here to tell you how hot you look.

This one was a very quick & easy read. Each story is about 50 pages long. I didn't know if I'd enjoy reading short stories but they were definitely well written & left me wanting more. A few ended with a "to be continued" ending. I normally don't like those but they were incredible cliffhangers. I wouldn't buy this book to keep but it's worth borrowing from a friend or getting from your library.

I'm now reading Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Ciao!

Painful earful.

2009-01-03T23:01:00.003-06:00

I worked a full day today with an earache the entire time. My inner ear is swollen, red & very warm to the touch. I have no idea what happened. I was trying to not be growly at work but it's hard to do when you have people going home because it's nice outside & they're faking being sick. Two other people called in so it was all sorts of craziness.

Amanda got a new puppy. He's 6 weeks old & he's a jack russel terrier/red heeler mix. He's adorable and I love him. I got pictures of him that I'll post later. For now I'm going to hit the sack & hope my ear is better in the a.m.

Ciao.

3 days into the new year.

2009-01-02T22:22:00.001-06:00

And OY! I say OY! Work was nutso I'm bushed & going to bed, more tomorrow.

Random tidbits.

2009-01-02T00:21:00.004-06:00

Last night was insanely fun. Amanda came over and I rang in the new year with her & dad. We drank & ate entirely too much. We also played some buzz which was crazy.
I woke up this morning groggy as all get out. I finally drug my carcass out of bed & we returned the movies then took Beethoven out to Watkins Mill to run around.
I'm still in snack coma (: No complaints tho.
I started a new book, Prom Nights From Hell so far so good.
Tomorrow I work til close then I work all day Saturday. We'll see how my ankle fairs, I'm limping pretty badly even with it wrapped.

Ciao!!

The Pagan Stone.

2008-12-31T12:10:00.004-06:00

Synopsis: Nearly 21 years ago, on the seventh day of the seventh month, three young boys swore a blood oath on top of the Pagan Stone in the woods near Hawkins Hollow and unwittingly unleashed an imprisoned demon that returns to wreak increasingly deadly havoc on the town every seven years. With the evil assault beginning once more, the time has come to end the carnage. Now, the three who started it all, linked by fate to a trio of exceptional women, are determined to defeat the demon once and for all. Each couple, sharing similar mental gifts, has had a part to play in the "Sign of Seven" trilogy (see also Blood Brothers; The Hollow), but in this final installment, it's up to gambler Gage Turner and free-spirited Cybil Kinski, who have the gift of precognition, to administer the death blow, even though it means someone else must die. Blood, fire, brutal violation, and possession are tempered by strength, self-sacrifice, and love in this chilling, passionate romance.

This is the third book in the Sign of Seven trilogy & it was good. The ending wasn't near as dramatic and I had assumed it would be but that's probably because there's some action going on throughout the book. I really wish she'd write one another seven years later just to see how the town is doing! Go forth and read it. Love it! Share it!

Ciao.

P.S. I hope everyone has a fun & safe New Year's Eve. Good bye 2008, Hello 2009!

Library Challenge.

2008-12-30T23:33:00.002-06:00

At work we're having a reading challenge and I need some help. We're reading as many Young Adult & Juvenile fiction books as we can by March 1st. I've decided to read the following:

The Charlie Bone Series
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series
The Chronicle's of Narnia books
The adoration of Jenna Fox
Re-read the Twilight Series
Hunger Games again.

That's it so far. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thank you and ciao!

Time.

2008-12-29T21:42:00.005-06:00

It seems like everyday time just gets away from me. I get wrapped into doing one thing or another and *poof* all day is gone. I'm still attempting to finish my book The Pagan Stone which it seems like it's near impossible to get to.

I woke up this morning & realized my water filter on my aquarium along with my heating tube weren't working. I didn't want to lose my other fish too so I went to work on it. After taking the pump out of the filter and cleaning it somehow I managed to fix it. I think the pump had slid out of place and it just shut off. (We'll see). I'd unplugged the heat tube & realized all that had happened was that it had twisted to the left & I just couldn't see the orange on light. Which was nice.

Today was around 60* which was amazing & scary at the same time. I can't ever remember having 60* weather in late December. We'll prolly pay for it later.

I have to work tomorrow & then Wednesday we get to go get New Year Eve's goodies. What's your plans for NYE?

Ciao!

Sunday Madness!

2008-12-28T20:13:00.005-06:00

Oh today was madness I tell ya madness!! First I decided to make some of the jewelry that I bought supplies for the other day. I saw a cute set of angel wings & I decided to make a necklace for Tanya (my sister). Here's the finished project.

Then Amanda came over to see if I wanted to run to Target & the dollar store with her and Cadin. So off we went. Target was insane. We hit the clearance Christmas aisle that was packed. I saw a pair of Christmas socks that I wanted & when we went to check out I decided I didn't need them all that badly. The lines were ridiculously long so we left. After almost getting ran over by some moron in the parking lot we went to the dollar store. I was hunting for a pair of round nosed pliers but I couldn't find any. We then headed home. Cadin was so cute. I shared my junior mints with him & he kept asking for another. Plus he kept babbling the entire way which I just find adorable.

Once we got home I decided to fix Ghost's chain. He broke something right before I left with Amanda and I decided I'd better fix it so he could get to his dog house tonight. Well. UGH. It was extremely muddy which I didn't mind because it meant I could actually dig up around his post to fix his chain. However that meant handling him was going to be hard once I got everything fixed. Which is was. As we were walking down the drive to chain him back up he tripped me up and I fell. Well I decided I wasn't letting him go because he's to hard to catch once he's off and running. So when I landed he decided to jump on me and almost nipped me in the face. Rawr. I was mad and very muddy. I came inside and cleaned up & surveyed the damage. My left ankle was hurting when I got up & so when I fell I hurt my left knee and my other ankle. Tomorrow morning should be interesting.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Ciao!

P.S. Plus Goldie (my bubble eyed gold fish) died. I'd had her 5 years. She went through college with me. She'll be missed.

The Letters.

2008-12-27T00:23:00.001-06:00

Synopsis: Sam and Hadley West are both trying in their own ways to survive after the unthinkable loss of their only son in Alaska. For Sam, a sports journalist, acceptance means an arduous trek by dogsled across the bleak and beautiful arctic wilderness to find the place where Paul died. For Hadley, it means renting a benignly haunted, salt-soaked cottage off the Maine coast where she begins to paint again.

Now, at opposite ends of the country, waiting for their divorce to be finalized, they begin to exchange letters by post, missives filled with longing and truths they’ve never before voiced, as they recall their marriage—its magic moments and its challenges—and begin to rediscover the reasons they fell in love in the first place.

As Sam risks his life to reach the remote crash site, Hadley begins an equally hazardous inner journey to a rendezvous with the mad grief of a mother’s heart. At the place where all else is lost, they will meet again….

I wasn't sure I'd like this book. I've read one other book in a letter format & I just wasn't sure if enough of the plot would come through via the letters. I was wrong. Luanne Rice has been a favorite author of mine for a long time and she didn't fail to deliver this time either.

Sam & Hadley's journey from across the globe is not only inspiring but will bring you to tears. They've lost their son & in dealing with his death have lost themselves. Sam needs to visit the site of Paul's death & Hadley runs as far from it as she can get. Both of their journey's eventually bring them together in a way you never see coming. I loved the letter format of the book. It just seemed more personal. It almost seemed like you were taking a peek into someone's mail illegally. I loved this book!

Ciao!

Wordless Wednesday.

2008-12-24T16:42:00.001-06:00

Things on Tuesday.

2008-12-23T18:57:00.002-06:00

Loathe:

Ice
Falling on ice
Bitter wind that takes your breath away
Eating too much holiday food
Being moody during the holiday season

Love:

The Holiday Season
Seeing family
Getting to relax and read as much as possible
The snow
Pictures in the snow & pictures of Beethoven in his Christmas outfit
Family

Ciao!! I know people are leaving for vacation and what not so I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Kwanzaa whatever it is that you celebrate have a good one!

Winter Depression?

2008-12-22T22:39:00.004-06:00

I have no clue what's wrong with me today. I've been extremely moody, short tempered & I don't want to do anything. I don't have the energy to read, write, watch tv, scrapbook, nothing. I just want to sleep. The littlest things have been getting on my nerves I don't know if it's winter depression or what. I'm assuming that it's a combo of everything. Stress is killer especially at this time of the year. I just want to be happy and celebrate Christmas. It may have something to do with my brother being gone and my sister moved out a few months ago. Normally they're around being goofy too. Anyways, lets check out some happy Christmas photos from flickr!!

Updates.

2008-12-22T01:18:00.001-06:00

If you see anything that's messed up just let me know. I'm currently working on updating my site.

Poetry corner!

2008-12-21T01:54:00.000-06:00

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

-e.e. cummings

Let the light of late afternoon
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.

Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.

Let it come, as it will, and don't
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.

-- Jane Kenyon

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
-Elizabeth Bishop

What's some of your favorites?

President & Mrs. Bush's Portraits.

2008-12-20T00:33:00.001-06:00

The portraits of the President and the First lady have been done & I'm not a art critic but Laura's is horrible. Her head looks like it belongs on another painting & it seems to small to me. The President's portrait looks amazing though. His hands are phenomenal. The other thing I noticed that there's a entire paragraph of people who made donations for his portrait and a husband/wife who made donations for hers. Now maybe the family could afford to pay for hers but I figure they skimped on hers. ;)

In other news my tooth feels better. I've not taken a pain pill for a day but eating is still a chore. I'm still eating soup and hating every bit of it.

Btw beethoven got a twitter account you should follow him ;)

Ciao!!

Christmas Jars.

2008-12-16T00:30:00.002-06:00

Synopsis: Journalist Hope Jensen is devastated when her adoptive mother dies from ovarian cancer shortly after Christmas. Adding to her woes, her apartment is broken into and all of her emergency cash stolen. Hope then discovers that someone has left her a gift-a glass mason jar labeled "Christmas Jar," filled with money. Using her investigative skills, she learns that in recent years, several people have reported receiving these mysterious jars in times of need. Hope's search leads her to the Maxwell family and their generous Christmas tradition-and to some truths about her birth mother. In the tradition of Catherine Ryan Hyde's Pay It Forward, Wright's holiday novel could inspire others to Christmas generosity.

This book is only about 125 pages long & amazing. It will inspire you to create your own Christmas Jar. The story is a quick read & in the end you will cry. I never saw the end coming. I figured out part of it but the second part was a huge surprise.

Hope feels guilt for lying to the Maxwell's and you empathize with her because she's found a second family that she doesn't want to hurt. Jason Wright also wrote Wednesday Letters which I enjoyed. If you get a chance check him out his books are phenomenal.

Synopsis: Texas Ranger Stephanie “Steve” Reynolds is on the hunt for a serial killer who is stalking innocent women in the Lone Star State. The beautiful Ranger comes to suspect the unbelievable – that the killer is a vampire.

Steve knows all about vampiros, since she has a demon lover of her own. For the past several years, Ethan Templeton has been helping her on cases when he wasn’t sharing her bed. But Steve, craving mortal motherhood, refused to get serious about the handsome vampire. Especially after she saw him kill a man she’d just arrested…

Ethan loves Steve, but he thinks nothing can come of their passion. Even if he could convince her to share his immortal life, his vampire patron, Don Rafael Perez, would execute him for transforming her.

But when the killer menaces Steve, Ethan realizes he has no choice except to risk everything. Will Steve agree to join a man she’s called murderer—or will she refuse her one chance at eternal life, lust, and love?

This is the third book in the Texas Vampire trilogy & it was ok. I liked the first book better than the last. It slowed down in places and the plot wasn't as active as the first one. Overall it was on okay read but I wouldn't read it again.

Ciao!!

MUSE in Twilight

2008-12-11T15:10:00.002-06:00

Dad's 7th surgery.

2008-12-03T20:44:00.002-06:00

Dad had surgery again today. He was in the operating room for an hour & then in the recovery room for 50 minutes before they sent him home. There wasn't any complications & he did really well. He had a little trouble coming about of the anesthesia because he's congested from the cold he has. He's had trouble before with the anesthesia so it's always scary because you never know what's going to happen.

I got about 3 hours of sleep last night since we had to be up at 4am to be there by 5:45. Needless to say when we got home I crashed for about 3 more hours & I still feel like I got ran over my a mac truck. I have to work tomorrow so hopefully I get a good night's sleep.

Happy December everyone.

Ciao.

P.S. it snowed again today but it didn't accumulate to much.

The Lucky One.

2008-11-23T20:44:00.000-06:00

Synopsis:

When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet.

Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

Nicholas Sparks hasn't failed me yet. His stories have a way of pulling you in and not letting go until the last page of the book. This is the first book of his that I've read that had a "bad" character. Deputy Keith Clayton is the anti-hero and throughout most of the book you'll despise him. The two main characters Logan & Beth have a lot of chemistry from the word go. They both have their flaws but you'll enjoy them throughout the book. The ending wasn't a tear jerker like I've come to expect from his books however it was a great ending to a wonderful book. It's a fast read because once you start you cannot stop!

Ciao!!

Snail mail & Birthday cards.

2008-11-22T15:54:00.000-06:00

What is it about getting anything in the regular mail that makes my heart go pitter patter?! I'm guilty of not wanting to make or buy a card so I send a virtual one. Granted those are definitely good things to do (it's the thought right?) but I LOVE getting letters & cards in the mail. I have every single birthday card I've ever received to this day. I need to do something creative with them like scrapbook them or something.

Sorry I digress. Today I received a Birthday card from Sherry. Sherry's not technically family but I love her like a Grandma. She lives in California and we met about 2 or 3 years ago through Yahoo Spades. When we subscribed to AT&T internet we received a free year of the Yahoo Game pass. Sherry's an amazingly sweet woman who remembers everything. She even sends a box of miniature cakes to us at Christmas time. This is the first time I've received a birthday card in the mail from her and I love it a lot. (It's going in my tin with my other cards) So with no further ado I show you Sherry's card!!

You can't see it in the pictures but the mice & cake are all glittery. It's really quite adorable. Thank you Sherry!!!

My mom also got me a card & here it is below!!

Cards=Love.

I'll share the others I get. Dad always makes me one & they're sooo cute :)

Ciao!!

I feel like screaming.

2008-11-22T00:41:00.002-06:00

Have you ever wanted to just throw a hissy fit because of everything going on? The last few days haven't been overly stressful but they've been just stressful enough. I've felt like walking out to the middle of no where and screaming my head off just to release some stress. Have you ever felt that way?

Thursday I got snippy with a woman at work because I'm beyond tired of her incessant nagging and complaining about my hours. STOP LOOKING AT MY HOURS AND WORRY ABOUT YOUR OWN. I've quickly grown tired of the politics at work. I volunteered to be on the Christmas Party committee and I may have stepped into a nest of snakes. Ugh. Had I known what I know now I wouldn't have volunteered but as normal I was being my "helpful" self. If anyone and I mean anyone complains I'm probably going to unload on someone. They all want to sit back and do nothing but will judge every little detail down to the tablecloths. OY!

On the flip side Sunday's my birthday. It should be a phenomenal day of doing nothing, watching football & hanging out with my family. My sister and I are (hopefully) going to get together Monday before I work and hang for a bit. Who knows.

I leave you with this quote,

"We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them." -Cato the Elder

Ciao <3